Glossary
Performing Rights Organization
A Performing Rights Organization (PRO) is a collection society that licenses and collects royalties for the public performance of musical compositions — on radio, in venues, on streaming platforms, and in public spaces.
Definition
PROs collect performance royalties on behalf of songwriters and music publishers. When your song is played on the radio, in a bar, in a commercial, or on Spotify, a performance royalty is generated. Your PRO collects this royalty and distributes it to you.
Major PROs include ASCAP and BMI in the US, PRS in the UK, SOCAN in Canada, APRA AMCOS in Australia, and hundreds of national organizations globally. Songwriters can only be registered with one PRO at a time.
Why it matters
Performance royalties are a separate income stream from master royalties collected by your distributor. Without PRO registration, you leave money uncollected. Every streaming play generates a performance royalty in addition to a master royalty.
How Lynkify uses this
Lynkify does not collect or manage PRO royalties. However, ensuring your music metadata (title, songwriter credits, ISRC) is correct — which Lynkify helps standardize on smart links — is important for accurate royalty attribution to your PRO registration.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I register with a PRO?
- In the US, visit ASCAP.com or BMI.com and register as a songwriter and publisher. Registration is free or involves a one-time fee. You must register each song you write to collect performance royalties for it.