Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) is one of three performance rights organizations (PRO) in America, along with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Society of European Stage Authors & Composers (SESAC).
It collects licence fees on behalf of its members, songwriters, composers and music publishers from public users of the copyrighted music and distributes the money as royalties to these members.
BMI has over 400,000 members that it distributes these royalties to in the U.S. along with thousands of members from around the world that they represent in America.
The organization was the first to represent songwriters and performers of gospel, jazz, rhythm & blues and blues genres in the United States.
BMI represents 30 winners of the Politzar Prizes for Music along with most of the members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
There are award shows hosted yearly by BMI honoring the creators of the most performed songs of the year in its membership.
