Reporting Music Used In Your Projects

What is a PRO?

Did you know that, after your project is completed and turned in for broadcast, the music it contains will be monitored by music performance rights organizations (PROs)?

PROs are music rights management organizations who have existing agreements with TV networks, radio stations, and other public broadcasters. In the United States, they’re known as ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC; in the UK, PRS; in Canada, SOCAN; and so on.

Broadcasting stations are obligated to report to PROs all the music used in their content. Based on this information, PROs will remunerate artists based on how often their music is played.

What does this have to do with me?

If you’ve purchased a PremiumBeat license, you don’t need to worry about paying any additional fees — this is handled exclusively by the broadcaster and PRO.* However, you have a duty to accurately report the music used in your project to the PRO and the music publisher (us).

Thanks to you, artists will be compensated for the public performance of their work.

How do I report the music used in my project?

Music is reported in a cue sheet, which contains details for all the music used in an audio or audiovisual production dedicated for public broadcast.

All composer and publisher information for our music is available on demand at support@premiumbeat.com. Simply provide us with the title(s) of the music track(s) used and we will supply you with the necessary cue sheet information.

Once you have completed the cue sheet, make sure you or your production company submits it electronically to every PRO listed in the sheet (see contact information below) and to the music publisher (us) at cuesheets@shutterstock.com.

• ASCAP: cuesheet@ascap.com or tvcuesheet@ascap.com
• BMI: cuesheets@bmi.com
• SESAC: cuesheets@sesac.com
• SOCAN: cuesheetsubmit@socan.com
• PRS: avoverseascuesheets@prsformusic.com
• APRA: onlinecues@apra.com.au
• BUMA: cuesheet@bumastemra.nl

If you can’t find a PRO’s contact information, please reach out to us at support@premiumbeat.com.

*Special circumstances

In rare cases, broadcasters do not have an existing arrangement with PROs and require that all music used in their content be composed by artists who are free of affiliation with PROs. Similarly, content broadcast in Germany, including online and at physical events, exceptionally requires additional licensing by German PRO GEMA.

If this is your situation, you can choose to exclusively license tracks from our curated PRO-free music collection. Covering all genres and moods, this wide selection of high quality tracks has been handpicked by our music experts to let you complete your publicly broadcast project, worry-free.