In order to receive performance royalties from concerts you play, you need to submit the list of songs you performed at any given concert, gig, or live performance, otherwise known as a “setlist” to your affiliated Performing Rights Organization (P.R.O.). Venues, bars and restaurants license music from the P.R.O. to play in their establishments. If you perform registered works in those establishments, you are entitled these publishing royalties. Submitting your setlists and other performance information allows your P.R.O. to track and pay you the royalties you earn from each live performance.
Most PROs will have a portal within your songwriter account where you are able to input live performance information. The process varies depending on your P.R.O., but in each case, you will fill out a form with basic information regarding your performance including setlist, date & time, and location. Every song that you perform should be included in your setlist. This includes unregistered works as well as cover songs. Unregistered works are unable to generate earnings until they are registered. Earnings generated from performing cover songs are to be paid to the songwriters and publishers affiliated with the song(s).
In the CD Baby Pro Publishing Hub, you will see a link to your Performing Rights Organization where you should submit your setlist in order to collect your live performance royalties. A complete list of P.R.O. websites CD Baby works with, go here:
Below we have information on how to submit to ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN, SESAC, and PRS
CD Baby will not be able to provide you information about the status of your setlist submission or its payment. Please contact your Performing Rights Organization for any questions you have about submitting or payments.
ASCAP
ASCAP has a program designed for songwriters to report live performances called ASCAP Onstage. Currently setlists can only be submitted via an ASCAP songwriter account, that means that CD Baby Pro Publishing is unable to submit for you.
Follow this link, select “Log Setlist Now” and log into your songwriter account to complete this process: https://www.ascap.com/music-creators/ascap-onstage
Your setlists need to be submitted by the following deadlines.
| Date of Performance | OnStage Submission Deadline |
| January 1 - March 31 | June 30 |
| April 1 - June 30 | September 30 |
| July 1 - September 30 | December 31 |
| October 1 - December 31 | March 31 (following year) |
Internationa performances:
You can send ASCAP information regarding your international performance via a “Member Services Inquiry” in Member Access. Choose the category “Live Performances” and the topic “International Live Concert Performance Claim”.
Not all live performance are eligible to be submitted. ASCAP OnStage is not a platform for reporting symphonic, recital, or educational performances. To review what is eligible go to the link below.
https://www.ascap.com/help/registering-your-music/performancenotification
CD Baby will not be able to provide you information about the status of your setlist submission or its payment. Please contact ASCAP.
BMI
Log into your writer account and select the BMI Live tab located on the left side of the page. BMI Live is the program designed for performing songwriters to submit their setlists for live performances. Follow the steps to submit your setlist here: https://www.bmi.com/special/bmi_live
As a BMI songwriter, you are able to enter dates for up to 2 quarters prior to the current quarter. Log into BMI Live to see available entry dates.
Internationa Performance:
In order to submit a setlist for an international performance you need to fill out a “Foreign Live Performance Notification Form”. Follow the link below to download a copy of the form. https://www.bmi.com/creators/detail/forms
Classical Performance:
You can't report classical live performance. BMI Live is intended for non-classical performances. For information on how to submit a classical performance to BMI follow the link below.
Guidelines for Reporting Classical Performances to BMI
CD Baby will not be able to provide you information about the status of your setlist submission or its payment. Please contact BMI.
SOCAN
To register your setlist to SOCAN, you need to login to your SOCAN account http://www.socan.com/ and check the Unidentified Concert List. To find the list login and go to “Performances and Repertoire”. If you find a concert you have played but there is no setlist, then follow the instructions to submit your setlist. If you played a show that does not show up on the Unidentified Concert List, then fill out and submit a “Notification of Live Performance Form” along with proof of the concert (eg. ticket stub, newspaper clipping, program book, contract, or letter/email from the presenter).
You have up to one year following your performance to report your setlist. The Unidentified Concert List covers concerts up to three years old.
International Performance:
Generally, you will not have to inform SOCAN of an international performance. However, it is ideal to have the necessary information at hand in order to confirm that payment is received, or to submit a claim with the relevant society if the payment has not been received. This information includes a “Notification of Live Performance Form” a link to or copy of the show contract, a setlist, and the country/territory of use. For classical performances, a programme for the concert will replace the need for an NLPF and setlist.
CD Baby will not be able to provide you information about the status of your setlist submission or its payment. Please contact SOCAN.
SESAC
SESAC pays out affiliate songwriters and publishers through their Live Performance Notification System. This is located online in “Affiliate Services” on http://www.sesac.com. From there, you need to fill out the “Live Performance Notification Log”. The same process applies to shows you’ve played outside the US.
To assure that you are getting paid as soon as possible, you should report your performance before the end of the calendar quarter in which the show took place. This way you will be up to date with SESAC’s distribution cycle.
CD Baby will not be able to provide you information about the status of your setlist submission or its payment. Please contact SESAC.
PRS
You can click here, scroll to the bottom of the page, and select, “Report a Live Performance”. PRS also offers an app called "PRS for Music" that allows you to report live performances.
As a PRS writer, the submission deadline varies depending on where your performance took place:
Gigs & Clubs: No more than a year following the date of your performance
International Performance: No more than two years following the date of your performance
UK Concert: No more than seven years following the date of your performance
Classical Performance:
You can report classical performances to PRS. Unlike the US Performing Rights Organizations, PRS allows you to report classical performances the same as other live performances.
CD Baby will not be able to provide you information about the status of your setlist submission or its payment. Please contact PRS.
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