This article covers the collection of performance royalties for compositions (songwriting and publishing). Not to be confused with non-interactive digital performance royalties for sound recordings, which are paid via SoundExchange. For more information on the different types of royalties, go here.

A note about CD Baby Pro Publishing 

The CD Baby Pro Publishing service was discontinued on August 8, 2023.

• Any paid release that was signed up for Pro Publishing before this date is considered a Legacy Pro release and will continue to receive full Pro Publishing services.

• CD Baby now offers a new and expanded suite of monetization tools called CDB Boost, which replaces Pro Publishing for new releases.

Since performance royalty collection is no longer available for new releases, we've gathered some information below to help you collect performance royalties on your own.

How do I collect Performance Royalties on my own? 

Find your local PRO (Performing Rights Organization).
Each country has one or more PROs that track and pay performance royalties.

• You can find a list of countries and their corresponding PROs here.

• In the United States, there are two main PROs:

  • BMI

  • ASCAP

• Choose and register with a PRO.
  Both ASCAP and BMI offer similar services. CD Baby cannot recommend one over the other, so we encourage you to research each to determine which is the best fit for your needs.

• Register as a songwriter (and optionally as a publisher).
  Once you’re registered as a songwriter, you can also register a publisher to collect your publishing share. This allows you to receive 100% of your performance royalties directly from your PRO

Music Publishing Explained

Looking for a general overview of music publishing? Check out this article on the DIY Musician Blog.

What if I have a Legacy Pro Publishing release?

What has not changed?

CD Baby continues to provide Publishing Administration for all Legacy Pro releases.
We will keep collecting publishing royalties on behalf of you and any co-writer credited as a collecting songwriter.

What has changed?

We can no longer accept certain update requests related to Legacy Pro Publishing releases, including:

• Ownership or songwriter split changes

• Letters of Direction (LOD) submissions

• Songwriter name changes

• Changing a songwriter’s collecting status (collecting ↔ non-collecting)

• Adding or updating self-owned publishing affiliations

• Troubleshooting song registration issues

Why?

• Publishing updates can take over two years to process through large-scale publishers.
• To avoid unnecessary delays, we recommend canceling your Legacy Pro Publishing service and registering directly with your PRO if you need to make these kinds of changes.
• You can request a Pro service downgrade or cancellation at any time.
  Submit a request here and our CD Baby Pro Support team will follow up.

*Note: links to third-party sites are provided purely for informational purposes and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information. These sites are not governed by our artist agreement and privacy policy.