Performance: ASCAP and BMI, via PRS
Where the UK has PRS, the US has competing performing rights organisations, chiefly ASCAP and BMI. They handle the licensing of broadcast, streaming and public performance of songs, and they pay writers and publishers much as PRS does.
A UK writer normally does not join them. PRS has reciprocal agreements: the US societies collect for PRS members and remit through PRS, with a time lag and a further admin skim. High-earning writers sometimes affiliate directly or via a US sub-publisher to shorten the chain; for most clients, well-registered works and patience are the practical answer.
Mechanicals: the MLC and the statutory rate
US mechanical royalties work on a legal footing the UK doesn't use: a compulsory licence at a statutory rate, set periodically by the Copyright Royalty Board tribunal. Since the Music Modernization Act, streaming mechanicals are collected and paid by the Mechanical Licensing Collective (the MLC).
The MLC pays whoever has claimed the work in its database. Unclaimed royalties accrue and are eventually distributed to others by market share: the black box. A UK writer without a US publisher or administrator should be registered with the MLC directly or through their admin deal; checking that claim is one of the quickest value checks you can run for a songwriter client.
The recording side: SoundExchange and the terrestrial gap
For recordings, the US pays a digital performance royalty on non-interactive uses (satellite radio, webcast radio) through SoundExchange, which pays featured performers and master owners directly, outside record deals.
Two traps for UK clients. First, SoundExchange needs its own registration; PPL membership alone historically hasn't captured everything, though the organisations exchange repertoire under agreements that have improved over time. Second, the famous gap: US terrestrial AM/FM radio pays no royalty on recordings at all. A US radio hit earns the songwriters performance income but pays the performers and master owner nothing from terrestrial spins.
The checklist for a UK client with US activity
US collection is a registrations problem more than a negotiation problem. The list is short and worth running annually.
- Works registered and matched at the MLC, directly or through the publisher or administrator.
- PRS registrations clean, so ASCAP/BMI reciprocal payments match the right works and splits.
- SoundExchange claim in place for featured-performer and master-owner shares.
- Withholding tax treaty forms filed with each US payer, so the correct treaty rate applies rather than the default.
Figures referred to
- US statutory mechanical mechanismIllustrative
- US mechanical rates are set by the Copyright Royalty Board for statutory periods, not negotiated per dealUS Copyright Royalty Board determinations · as of 2025
Figures marked Illustrative show the shape of the market, not a quoted rate. The lessons keep the maintained, sourced numbers.
Common questions
Does a UK songwriter need to join ASCAP or BMI?
Usually not. PRS collects US performance income through reciprocal agreements with the American societies. Direct affiliation or a US sub-publisher can shorten the payment chain for high earners, but for most clients the priority is clean registrations, not extra memberships.
What is the MLC and do UK writers need it?
The Mechanical Licensing Collective collects US streaming mechanicals under the compulsory licence and pays whoever has claimed each work in its database. UK writers need their works claimed there, directly or via their publisher or administrator; unclaimed money eventually distributes to others as black-box income.
Why did my client earn nothing from US radio play of their recording?
Because US terrestrial radio pays no royalty on sound recordings, unlike UK radio through PPL. The songwriters earn performance income via the US societies, but performers and master owners receive nothing from AM/FM spins. Digital and satellite radio do pay, through SoundExchange.
Learn this properly
The interactive lessons on this topic, with sourced figures and live simulators: