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BMI Affiliate Overview

As an affiliate of BMI, your performing rights are represented throughout most of the world by virtue of reciprocal arrangements with other international rights societies. Click here for a list of territories covered.

BMI affiliates are assigned a unique international number. This number identifies you as a creator or publisher of music and includes you in an International database that lists you, your unique number and BMI as your performing rights organization. This way, the foreign rights societies are able to identify you as a songwriter, composer or publisher.

It is important to register your performed works whether or not they were released in the United States. When you register a work with BMI, the appropriate copyright or collection information relevant to performing rights is posted on an International database. When a performance is logged overseas, the foreign rights organization is then able to identify your work.

As a BMI writer affiliate, the foreign rights organizations will license and distribute your performance royalties. The royalties are sent to BMI on your behalf and BMI distributes them to you. BMI will always collect your royalties whether or not you have entered into a publishing agreement overseas.

If you are a publisher affiliate of BMI, BMI is only entitled to collect performance royalties for works that have not been assigned to another publisher in the country where the performance occurred.

You should notify BMI if you either enter into an agreement with a publisher overseas or if your contract with a foriegn publisher terminates. It is important to review your contracts carefully for the details on the rights you have assigned. Forms containing the information required by BMI are being furnished for your convenience: International Agreement Notice or Termination of International Agreement.  You can send this information to our International Administration Department via email, fax (212) 246-3694 or postal mail.

Please note, foreign performing rights organizations each have their own policies and procedures regarding collection and payment of performing rights. Royalties are calculated by the foreign society in the country where the performance occurred. Royalties attributed to BMI affiliates are then forward to BMI on your behalf. BMI distributes royalties in accordance with our current policies and procedures. Please refer to the BMI Royalty Information Booklet.