Are you required to register your track with a PRO once accepted by a library?

[Spewzorz]

Hi guys, please excuse the newbie question!

I am little confused on the timeline of registering a track with your PRO, and whether or not it’s necessary if a track has not yet been accepted to a library. I have had a few tracks accepted by libraries, and was wondering if I should be subsequently registering these tracks with BMI upon their acceptance? If so, is there a general timeline that I should be registering these tracks with BMI? For example, should I be registering these tracks with my PRO before pitching them to libraries?

Thanks so much!

[Art Munson]

I have had a few tracks accepted by libraries, and was wondering if I should be subsequently registering these tracks with BMI upon their acceptance?

Nope, it’s the library that registers them not you, especially if it’s an exclusive library. If it’s non-exclusive the library would register their title with your PRO. Most likely by prepending or appending a code to your title.

[Pat]

Personally, I’ve always made it a practice to register every track with BMI as the final step of finishing a cue. With BMI anyway, there is a box that asks if there is a publisher and it states that can be changed so I check no and when publishers enter the picture they register the tracks as publisher. Not saying that is how it should be done but I’ve never had any issues doing it that way.

[jhewitt79]

I always register mine with BMI. I have signed some to an exclusive library and I’ve just had to notify BMI to make the change to the publishing component.

[Michael Nickolas]

If you are submitting tracks to Crucial Music you do have to register them with a PRO before submitting. They use the registration as verification of rights holders.

[Art Munson]

Right, forgot about Crucial.

[Spewzorz]

Got it. I guess as a rule of thumb I can always double check with the library as well.
Thanks for the helpful answers!

[Author]

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