Broadcast Music, Inc

What Broadcast Music, Inc does

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a US-based performing rights organization (PRO) founded in 1939, operating as a private not-for-profit corporation owned by its affiliated songwriters, composers, and publishers. BMI represents over 1.5 million creators and a repertoire of more than 25 million musical works, collecting public performance royalties on their behalf and distributing them on a quarterly basis. On the demand side, BMI licenses public performance rights to approximately 650,000 businesses — including restaurants, bars, hotels, retailers, radio and TV stations, live venues, and digital platforms — with digital licenses starting at $350 per year and scaling on usage metrics such as streaming hours and gross revenue.

BMI's technology platform is anchored by Songview, a jointly developed database with ASCAP that provides searchable copyright ownership data for nearly 40 million combined musical works; the BMI Repertoire Database covering 22.4 million works from 1.4 million creators; and BMI Live, a creator-facing application (desktop, iOS, Android) for reporting live performance data and receiving quarterly royalty payments. The company also operates an Online Services portal for account and royalty management and a programmatic Songview API. International royalty collection is enabled through reciprocal agreements with foreign PROs, protected in 21 of 27 EU member states under the 2020 CJEU RAAP ruling.

BMI's revenue model is licensing-and-royalties-based: it collects license fees from music users, retains an operating margin, and distributes the remainder as royalties to creators. Its go-to-market combines digital self-service for SMBs, dedicated account management for enterprise licensees, and an event- and awards-driven engagement model for creators (BMI Pop, Film/TV, R&B/Hip-Hop, Christian, Latin, and London Awards). The company is headquartered in New York with offices in Nashville, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Austin, Miami, and London. Recent strategic moves include the May 2026 acquisition of Soundmouse, partnerships with Music Nation (UAE) and Bridger/Winamp Group, a joint AI registration policy with ASCAP and SOCAN, and an Atlanta office expansion in late 2025.

Name

Broadcast Music, Inc

Legal name

Broadcast Music, Inc.

Website

https://bmi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a US performing rights organization founded in 1939 that licenses public performance rights to 650,000+ businesses on behalf of 1.5 million+ songwriters, composers, and publishers holding 25 million+ musical works, distributing royalties globally through reciprocal agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Music Rights Management

NAICS

Music Publishers (51223)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs) & Public Performance Licensing (MPAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performance Rights Administration (PRO Affiliation, Cue Sheet/Setlist Processing) (MPAIABAE), Micro-Licensing & Direct Licensing Platforms (UGC, SMB venues, online uses) (MPAIAKAJ), Public Performance/Neighboring Rights for AV Uses (Cue Sheet & Reporting Services) (MPAIALAK)

Keywords

• Music rights management
• Performance rights licensing
• Royalty collection services
• Public performance licensing
• Music publishing administration

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Performance Licensing Fees: BMI collects license fees from businesses that publicly perform music (restaurants, bars, radio stations, TV networks, digital services, live venues, etc.). These license fees are collected based on the type and size of the business and the nature of music use. The collected fees are then distributed as royalties to BMI's affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
2. Digital Music Licensing: BMI issues digital music performance licenses to websites, mobile applications, podcasts, and other digital services for the right to publicly perform BMI's repertoire of over 22.4 million musical works.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

BMI is a performing rights organization (PRO) that represents public performance rights for over 1.5 million songwriters, composers, and publishers with a catalog of more than 25 million musical works. BMI licenses public performance rights to 650,000 businesses (restaurants, bars, hotels, radio, TV, digital services) and collects license fees, which are then distributed as royalties to affiliated creators. The company also operates the Songview database (jointly with ASCAP) covering nearly 40 million works and provides online tools including BMI Live for performance reporting and BMI Online Services for account management.

Product overview

BMI is a U.S. music performing rights organization (PRO) offering a comprehensive platform for music rights management. The core offering includes performance rights representation for over 1.5 million songwriters, composers, and publishers with a catalog of 25+ million musical works. Key products include Songview (jointly with ASCAP for comprehensive copyright data), BMI Live (for tracking and paying royalties on live performances), BMI Online Services (account management portal), and Digital Music Licensing. The company also offers educational programs like How I Wrote That Song panels and career development through the Spark program. BMI licenses music usage to 650,000+ businesses and distributes royalties to creators through quarterly payments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Songview: A combined searchable database of ASCAP and BMI musical works, providing comprehensive and reconciled copyright ownership data for nearly 40 million musical works.
• BMI Live

Products and services

• BMI Performance Rights Representation BMI's primary service representing performance rights for over 1.5 million songwriters, composers, and publishers with a repertoire of over 25 million musical works, licensing music usage to businesses and distributing royalties to rights holders.
• Songview A combined ASCAP and BMI searchable database providing comprehensive, reliable copyright data on songwriters, composers, music publishers, and copyright ownership shares for nearly 40 million musical works in their combined repertoires.
• BMI Live An online services application enabling performing songwriters to submit live performance data and receive quarterly royalty payments. Songwriters can report up to six months of performance data including tour information and setlists for both headliner and opening act performances. Available via desktop and mobile app (iOS and Android).
• Digital Music Licensing Digital music performance licenses granting businesses copyright permission to publicly perform BMI's repertoire of over 25 million songs, covering websites, mobile apps, digital music providers, podcasts, and other digital streaming services.
• BMI Online Services Password-protected online portal for BMI-affiliated songwriters, composers, and publishers to manage their accounts, register works, view royalty statements, and access direct deposit enrollment.
• Music Licensing (General Business) BMI issues public performance licenses on behalf of copyright owners granting rights to perform works publicly or transmit them to the public, covering various business types including restaurants, hotels, retail, radio, and television.

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Bridger (Winamp Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 March 2026Bridger, the copyright management company and part of Winamp Group, has been officially confirmed as a Client Rights Management Entity (RME) within the CISAC ecosystem. The company finalized a partnership with BMI enabling it to collect offline performance royalties across the U.S. market. Bridger is accelerating its expansion into offline royalty collection covering radio, television, live performances, and public venues worldwide.
• ASCAP and SOCANflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025ASCAP, BMI, and SOCAN announced a joint alignment on AI registration policies, with all three PROs agreeing to now accept registrations of musical works that are partially generated by AI. This collaboration establishes unified standards for human creators and AI tools in music licensing.
• Music Nation Copyrights ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2025Music Nation Copyrights Management officially launched operations in the UAE as a comprehensive music rights management organization. The company partnered with BMI for performing rights and SoundExchange for neighboring rights administration. Music Nation aims to deliver unified licensing, collection, and royalty distribution across the UAE as the first regional organization to offer a single platform combining public performance, mechanical, and neighboring rights.
• ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerBMI and ASCAP jointly developed Songview, providing music users with the first comprehensive, reliable, and consistent data on songwriters, composers, music publishers and copyright ownership shares for the vast majority of songs licensed in the United States. Songview integrates song ownership information from both PROs, reconciles data based on agreed-upon rules, and provides expanded data including works from other participating societies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers): The other major US performing rights organization, with a comparable two-sided model of licensing businesses and paying royalties to songwriters. BMI and ASCAP directly compete for affiliates and licensees, and already cooperate on the Songview database.
• SESAC: A smaller US PRO that issues public performance licenses and collects royalties on behalf of affiliated songwriters and publishers. Directly comparable PRO business model to BMI, though with a smaller repertoire and primarily selective affiliation.
• SoundExchange: The US nonprofit designated to collect and distribute digital performance royalties for sound recordings (neighboring rights). Compares to BMI as a sister royalty-collection entity, covering a related but distinct right (master vs. publishing) — a natural partner/peer for BMI's creators.
• Harry Fox Agency (HFA): The primary US mechanical rights administrator, issuing licenses and collecting royalties for the reproduction of musical works. Operates a rights-administration model parallel to BMI's public performance focus, making it a directly comparable rights-services counterpart.

Emerging players

• Global Music Rights (GMR): A newer US PRO founded in 2013, representing a roster of high-profile songwriters and publishers. Competes with BMI for top-tier affiliates but has a smaller catalog, making it a partial-overlap peer in the US PRO space.
• Audiam: A music rights technology company that administers mechanical royalties for independent songwriters and publishers. Represents a tech-forward, partial-overlap alternative to traditional PRO/publisher administration, comparable in service to BMI's digital licensing portal.

Regional players

• PRS for Music: The UK's performing rights organization with reciprocal agreements with BMI for international royalty collection. Operates an analogous PRO model in the UK, frequently cited in BMI's reciprocal-network materials.
• GEMA: Germany's PRO, one of BMI's largest reciprocal partners for European royalty collection. Comparable business model focused on licensing public performance and distributing royalties to creators, but operating in the German-speaking market.
• SOCAN: Canada's PRO, which recently co-aligned with BMI and ASCAP on AI registration policies. Operates the same two-sided PRO model in Canada, and is a direct functional peer in the rights-administration value chain.

Broad incumbents

• Music Reports Inc. A music rights administration and royalty-processing vendor serving publishers, DSPs, and rights organizations. Comparable to BMI as a broader rights-administration incumbent, with overlapping toolsets for catalog management and royalty accounting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BMI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/bmivideo
• Facebookfacebook.com/broadcastmusicinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/11104
• Instagraminstagram.com/bmi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Broadcast Music, Inc