I already have a PRO. Do I need SoundExchange too?
Yes, if you own or perform on your recordings. Your PRO collects for the song you wrote, and SoundExchange collects for the recording itself, so the two never pay you for the same thing.
ASCAP’s licensing FAQ puts it plainly: ASCAP “does not license digital public performances of sound recordings,” only the underlying song. Our guide on how to make money from music maps every income stream. This answer covers just these two.
SoundExchange collects from radio-style services, where the listener can’t pick the song. Its digital performance royalties page names Pandora, SiriusXM and webcasters, and splits the money three ways:
- 50% to the recording’s rights owner
- 45% to the featured artists
- 5% to a fund for non-featured performers
On-demand plays on Spotify or Apple Music don’t go through SoundExchange. Your distributor pays you for those.
If you self-release, you’re the featured artist and the rights owner, so register as both or you’ll leave one share unclaimed. Registration is free, and the site has a free ISRC Search that shows which of your recordings it already knows about. Keep your ISRC codes handy when you sign up.
Your PRO membership doesn’t change any of this. Joining SoundExchange doesn’t conflict with ASCAP or BMI, because they’re collecting on different copyrights. The same logic applies to song mechanicals, which is why you may also need The MLC.