How to Read Your ASCAP or BMI Royalty Statement

You finally got a royalty statement.

You open it, scroll through the numbers, see a few song titles, some percentages, and maybe a payment amount.

And then you think:

What the hell am I looking at?

If you’re an independent songwriter, artist, producer, or publisher, understanding your royalty statement is part of managing your music business.

It’s not enough to register your songs and hope the money shows up. You should understand what you’re being paid for, which songs are generating royalties, and whether the information looks correct.

Let’s break down how to read your ASCAP or BMI royalty statement without needing a music business degree.

First: What Is a PRO Royalty Statement?

A performing rights organization (PRO) royalty statement shows the performance royalties credited to your account for a particular distribution period.

ASCAP and BMI collect licensing fees for the public performance of musical compositions and distribute royalties to the appropriate writers and publishers according to their respective policies.

These royalties may come from eligible uses of your music, including:

Radio airplay.
Television broadcasts.
Live performances.
Streaming services.
Certain digital music services.
Restaurants, bars, retail stores, and other licensed businesses.
International performances collected through relationships with foreign societies.

Your statement helps show how your music is earning performance royalties through the PRO.

Remember: This is not a complete statement of every dollar your music has earned.

Your PRO statement does not automatically include distributor payments, master recording royalties, mechanical royalties collected by The MLC, or sync licensing income.

Those are separate royalty streams.

Step 1: Find Your Royalty Statement

Before you can understand your statement, you need to know where to find it.

ASCAP

ASCAP members can access royalty information through ASCAP Member Access.

BMI

BMI members can access their statements through BMI Online Services.

BMI also provides a Royalty Dashboard that allows members to explore earnings, review trends, and look more closely at individual works.

BMI introduced its interactive dashboard in 2024 to give songwriters and composers more visibility into their royalty activity.

If you haven’t logged in recently, take some time to explore the available reports and statement tools.

Step 2: Understand the Distribution Period

One of the first things to check is the period covered by the statement.

A royalty statement may show a distribution date and the period during which the underlying performances occurred.

Those are not necessarily the same date.

For example, a statement issued in November might include royalty activity from an earlier quarter or reporting period.

This is why you shouldn’t automatically expect to see last month’s streaming activity or radio airplay on the next statement.

PROs need time to receive performance information, process data, calculate distributions, and prepare payments.

BMI explains that its distribution schedule is quarterly and that many performance royalties are distributed several months after the activity occurs.

The takeaway: A royalty statement is a report of processed royalty activity, not a real-time dashboard of everything happening with your music.

Step 3: Learn the Different Types of Performance Royalties

Your statement may organize royalties by source, territory, distribution category, or other classifications.

The exact labels and layout depend on the organization and the statement.

Here are some of the common categories you may encounter.

Radio Royalties

These are royalties associated with eligible public performances of your music on radio.

Depending on the distribution category, reporting may distinguish between commercial radio, college radio, public radio, and other sources.

Not every radio appearance necessarily qualifies for payment.

For example, BMI’s royalty policy identifies certain short or incidental uses that are not eligible for payment under its current rules.

Television Royalties

If your composition is performed in a television program, commercial, or other eligible broadcast, it may generate performance royalties.

The amount and reporting depend on the type of use, the licensing arrangement, and the PRO’s distribution methodology.

Music used in television productions may also involve cue sheets, which identify the music used and provide important information about the compositions and their writers.

Digital and Streaming Royalties

Eligible interactive and other digital music services may generate performance royalties for musical compositions.

However, don’t confuse these with the royalties your distributor reports for the actual sound recording.

For example, Spotify activity can involve multiple royalty streams:

Recording-side royalties paid through a label or distributor.
Publishing performance royalties collected by a PRO.
Publishing mechanical royalties collected through The MLC or another administrator.

One song can generate different payments through different systems.

Live Performance Royalties

If you’re a songwriter who performs your own music, certain live performances may qualify for PRO royalties.

ASCAP and BMI have programs and reporting procedures for eligible live performances.

For BMI, the BMI Live program allows qualifying songwriters to submit eligible concerts and setlists for consideration.

Don’t assume every gig automatically generates a payment. Review your PRO’s current requirements and submit the information it requests.

International Royalties

Your music may be performed outside the United States.

PROs work with foreign collecting societies to collect and distribute royalties associated with eligible international performances.

International royalties can take longer to arrive because of reporting, processing, and payment arrangements between organizations.

BMI’s international distribution information explains that foreign performance payments can take considerably longer than domestic distributions.

If you know your music has been used internationally, pay attention to the territory and reporting period shown on your statement.

Step 4: Understand the Song Titles and Work Information

Look closely at the titles listed on your statement.

Do you recognize the songs?

Are the titles correct?

Are your works appearing under the expected names?

Check for:

Incorrect song titles.
Alternate titles you don’t recognize.
Missing compositions.
Unexpected writer or publisher information.
Works that appear to be associated with someone else.

Sometimes a composition may be registered under a slightly different title than the one used on the commercial release.

That’s why keeping your catalog information organized matters.

If a song is missing, don’t immediately assume the PRO owes you money. First check whether the work was registered, whether the performance was reported, and whether the use falls within a payable category.

Step 5: Understand Your Shares

Your royalty statement may show writer and publisher information, ownership percentages, or other allocation details.

This is where your split sheets and publishing agreements become important.

Let’s say you co-wrote a song with another writer and agreed to split the composition equally.

You should expect the registration information to reflect that agreement, subject to the PRO’s accounting system and the applicable publisher interests.

Remember:

ASCAP generally uses a 100% accounting scale.
BMI generally uses a 200% accounting scale.

Those are different ways of representing writer and publisher allocations. They do not mean one organization pays twice as much.

If the shares on your statement don’t match your actual agreement, investigate.

A registration error, conflicting claim, missing publisher, or incorrect affiliation can affect how royalties are allocated.

Don’t assume the statement is correct simply because the song title appears.

Step 6: Understand the Payment Amount

Your statement may show several categories of earnings, adjustments, accrued amounts, and payments.

Look at the final amount and compare it with the previous distribution.

Ask yourself:

Did I earn royalties this period?
Which songs generated the most activity?
Did the amount increase or decrease?
Are there new royalty sources?
Are there adjustments from earlier periods?
Is the money being paid now or held as an accrual?

A smaller payment doesn’t automatically mean your music is performing worse.

Distributions can change because of performance activity, licensing fees, reporting data, payment rules, and other factors.

What Are Accrued Royalties?

Accrued royalties are earnings recorded to your account that have not yet been paid.

For example, BMI has minimum payment thresholds that depend on the payment method and distribution period.

According to its current royalty policy, direct deposit has a lower payment threshold than check or wire payments. If an account doesn’t meet the applicable threshold, eligible earnings may remain accrued until the threshold is reached, subject to BMI’s policies.

So if your statement shows earnings but you didn’t receive a deposit, check whether the amount is being held as an accrual.

Don’t confuse an unpaid accrual with missing money.

Step 7: Compare Your Statements Over Time

One statement tells you what happened during a particular distribution.

Multiple statements can help you understand how your catalog is performing over time.

Start tracking:

Total royalties by distribution.
Top-performing compositions.
New songs generating income.
Changes in international royalties.
Changes in digital activity.
Adjustments and accruals.

You don’t need a complicated accounting system to start.

A simple spreadsheet with the distribution date, song title, royalty category, amount, and notes can help you monitor your catalog.

For independent artists and publishers, this information can also help you identify which songs are generating ongoing income.

What If You Don’t See Your Song on the Statement?

Don’t panic, but don’t ignore it either.

There are several possible reasons:

1. The song hasn’t been registered.

Your PRO needs the correct work information to identify and credit the composition.

2. The performance hasn’t been reported yet.

There can be a delay between the performance and the distribution.

3. The use wasn’t eligible for payment.

Not every use of music qualifies for a royalty under every PRO’s policies.

4. The work has conflicting ownership information.

If multiple registrations contain different writer or publisher information, the PRO may need documentation to resolve the conflict.

5. Your song wasn’t correctly identified.

Incomplete metadata, incorrect titles, or missing cue sheets can make it harder to match a performance to the correct composition.

6. Your earnings haven’t met the payment threshold.

You may have accrued royalties that haven’t reached the minimum payment amount.

What Should You Do If Something Looks Wrong?

If you believe a royalty is missing or a payment is incorrect, gather your information before contacting your PRO.

Have these details ready:

Song title.
Work identification number, if available.
Performance date or date range.
Radio station, venue, program, or service, if known.
Territory or country.
Your songwriter and publisher information.
A copy of your split sheet or relevant agreement.
The statement or distribution period you’re questioning.

Then contact the appropriate PRO and follow its adjustment or inquiry process.

Don’t wait forever to question an error.

BMI’s current Royalty Policy Manual specifies a nine-month period for certain royalty adjustment claims. Other organizations and types of claims may have different requirements, so review the applicable policy and deadlines for your specific issue.

Keep copies of your statements and correspondence.

A Quick ASCAP and BMI Statement Checklist

Every time a royalty statement becomes available, take a few minutes to review it.

Confirm the distribution period.
Review the total earnings.
Identify which songs generated royalties.
Check the royalty categories.
Review writer and publisher information.
Compare shares against your split sheets.
Check for accrued royalties.
Look for adjustments or deductions.
Compare the statement with previous distributions.
Follow up on missing or incorrect information.

Don’t Confuse Your PRO Statement With Your Entire Music Income

This is worth repeating because it’s one of the biggest things independent creators need to understand.

Your ASCAP or BMI statement is only one part of your music business.

Revenue source	Where to look
Public performance royalties	ASCAP, BMI, or another PRO
Eligible U.S. digital audio mechanical royalties	The MLC or your publishing administrator
Certain digital sound recording performance royalties	SoundExchange
Streaming and download recording revenue	Your distributor or label
Sync licensing fees	Your licensing agreement or publisher
Direct licensing income	The applicable license agreement

If you’re self-administered, you may have multiple accounts to monitor.

If you have a publisher, administrator, label, or distributor, ask what they collect and what information they provide.

You want to understand the entire picture—not just one statement.

FROM THE SOUTHERN GIRL & CO. DESK

Your royalty statement shouldn’t be something you open once, glance at, and forget about until the next payment.

It’s a business document.

It tells you which compositions are generating reported performance royalties, how your account is being credited, and where you may need to investigate further.

You don’t have to become an accountant to manage your music catalog.

But you should know what you’re being paid for, understand the information on your statements, and keep records of what you’ve earned.

Don’t just wait for the money. Learn how to read the paperwork behind it.

Because the more you understand your music business, the better equipped you are to protect and manage the work you’re creating.