Reference
Find each collective management organization paying songwriters and performers, organized by country with registration steps, joining cost, and payout cadence. This living reference is reviewed monthly.
29 collective management organizations in this directory. Together they form the global system that pays songwriters and performers. Standard Found Royalties onboarding registers you with every org labeled “Found handles.”
American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers
A member-owned, non-profit organization and one of the two leading US PROs. Membership is available to writers, publishers, or both. Payment arrives roughly 6 months after the performance quarter.
Broadcast Music, Inc.
The second major US PRO. It has operated for profit since 2022. Membership is exclusive — choose ASCAP or BMI, never both.
SESAC Performing Rights
The smallest major US PRO accepts members by invitation only — it recruits selected writers rather than taking applications.
Global Music Rights
A boutique PRO founded by Irving Azoff. For independent songwriters it matters only if they contact you.
The Mechanical Licensing Collective
The Music Modernization Act established the MLC to manage US streaming mechanical royalties. For plays on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and others, it collects the mechanical side — provided the songs are registered.
Harry Fox Agency
Covers US mechanicals outside streaming (CDs, vinyl, downloads) and facilitates sync licensing. Most streaming mechanicals shifted to the MLC in 2021.
SoundExchange
Pays for the sound recording, not the writing. Coverage includes non-interactive digital broadcasts (Pandora, SiriusXM, internet radio) — not interactive Spotify or Apple Music streaming.
Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada
Canada's PRO handles performance royalties plus some Canadian streaming mechanicals through the SOCAN Reproduction Rights division.
Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency
Canada's counterpart to HFA. It has been a SOCAN subsidiary since 2020.
Performing Right Society
The UK combines its PRO and mechanical licensing collective here, jointly administered with MCPS.
Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society
Since 1997, MCPS has been administered together with PRS for Music.
Phonographic Performance Limited
The UK's SoundExchange counterpart pays recording rights owners and performers for public airings, radio, and TV.
Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte
Germany puts its PRO and mechanical society under one roof, with wide collection power under German law.
Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique
The world's oldest PRO. Reciprocal deals cover several African and Middle Eastern territories.
Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori
Italy's PRO and mechanical society also manages some neighboring-rights income.
Sociedad General de Autores y Editores
A leading reciprocal partner to Latin American CMOs.
Svenska Tonsättares Internationella Musikbyrå
Alongside PRS and GEMA, STIM jointly owns ICE Services, which handles much of Europe's digital licensing.
Vereniging Buma en Stichting Stemra
Buma collects performance; Stemra collects mechanical. They also collect Belgium and Luxembourg plays through reciprocal agreements.
Société d'Auteurs Belge — Belgische Auteursmaatschappij
Belgium's bilingual (French + Dutch) PRO and mechanical society.
Schweizerische Gesellschaft für die Rechte der Urheber musikalischer Werke
Stronger local rate cards tend to put its per-stream payments above EU averages.
Koda
Denmark's PRO leaves mechanicals to NCB, the shared Nordic mechanical body.
TONO
Norway's PRO uses NCB to handle mechanical rights.
Australasian Performing Right Association + Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society
Two jointly administered organizations cover Australia and New Zealand together.
Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers
A Japanese publisher partner is often needed to join. Reciprocal agreements mean foreign writers generally collect via their home PRO.
Korea Music Copyright Association
Largely unavailable to writers outside Korea — their money comes through reciprocal collection.
Escritório Central de Arrecadação e Distribuição
Brazilian collection runs through ECAD, representing seven member societies. Writers join an affiliate such as UBC or ABRAMUS.
Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de México
Central to Latin American sync, reflecting Mexico City's importance in Spanish-language TV and film.
Southern African Music Rights Organisation
Uses service agreements to administer several nearby sub-Saharan territories. CAPASSO handles mechanical rights separately.
Societies' Council for the Collective Management of Performers' Rights
You can't join this CMO directly. It coordinates 60+ national neighboring-rights bodies paying performers and recording rights holders.
Last reviewed: August 2026. Joining costs and payout schedules change — confirm them on the org's site before you sign up. In most cases, reciprocal agreements mean you join only your home country's CMO.
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