When do ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, PRS, SOCAN and GEMA pay?
By Marc Aaron Jacobs · Updated
BMI pays four times a year, in February, May, August and November, for airings about two quarters earlier. ASCAP pays writers in January, April, July and October for airings about three quarters earlier, publishers in March, June, September and December for airings about two quarters earlier, and foreign income in February, May, August and November.
PRS for Music makes its main payments in April, July, October and December. SOCAN pays in mid February, mid May, mid August and mid November. GEMA pays TV and radio once a year, on 1 July, for the previous year. SESAC does not publish a calendar we could confirm, so ask SESAC.
The payment calendars, side by side
| Society | Pays in | Which airings each payment covers |
|---|---|---|
| ASCAP, writers | January, April, July, October | About three quarters earlier. The 13 October 2026 payment covers January to March 2026. |
| ASCAP, publishers | March, June, September, December | About two quarters earlier. The 18 September 2026 payment covers January to March 2026. |
| ASCAP, foreign income | February, May, August, November | Whatever foreign societies have sent. ASCAP lists no performance period for these. |
| BMI | February, May, August, November | About two quarters earlier. The 20 November 2026 payment covers April to June 2026. Foreign income is paid in the same quarterly distributions. |
| SESAC | Ask SESAC | Check your SESAC account, or ask SESAC which quarter a payment covers. |
| PRS for Music | April, July, October, December | PRS gives this example: music played on TV in January usually pays in July. Online and live concert royalties pay monthly. |
| SOCAN | Mid February, mid May, mid August, mid November | January to March pays in mid November the same year. April to June pays the following February, July to September the following May, October to December the following August. |
| GEMA | 1 July, plus 1 November | TV and radio pay once a year on 1 July, for the previous year. From 2026, a second payment on 1 November picks up late registrations and claims. |
Read from each society's own site on 7 November 2026: the ASCAP distribution schedule, the BMI Royalty Policy Manual and BMI's upcoming payment dates, PRS payment dates, the SOCAN distribution schedule and GEMA's July distribution. Societies call their dates estimates and change them, so check the link before you plan around a day.
One airing, followed through each calendar
Take a cue that aired in January 2026. Under the calendars above, ASCAP pays the publisher share on 18 September 2026 and the writer share on 13 October 2026. SOCAN pays it in mid November 2026, on 13 November in its 2026 schedule. GEMA's 1 July payment covers the previous year, so 2026 TV use pays on 1 July 2027. PRS says a January TV airing usually pays in July.
BMI's published list starts later in the year: its 20 November 2026 payment covers April to June 2026. Two quarters back from that puts a January to March airing in the August distribution.
So the statement that should pay an airing usually arrives six to eighteen months after it, depending on the society. Until that statement has arrived, a missing payment is not missing. It is pending.
Foreign income runs on its own clock
An airing abroad is paid by the foreign society first, which then sends the money to your society, which pays you in its next foreign distribution. BMI says most foreign payments reach its writers one to two years after the performance. See why foreign TV royalties take so long.
When a payment is late, and when it is missing
Once the statement covering the air date has arrived, search it by your society's work number, then check the registration and the cue sheet. If it still is not there, ask your society. TV placement not paid yet? walks through each step.
ASCAP members have one more question to ask first: whether the channel was in ASCAP's count at all. See ASCAP census and sample surveys.
ONTRK holds each airing until the statement for its quarter should have arrived. It does this today for airings you already have, from TuneSat, a library report or a TRQK export. Its own TV detection, monitored by BMAT on 50 channels in the US, UK, Europe and Australia, opens in November.
Common questions
When does BMI pay royalties?
Four times a year, in February, May, August and November. Each payment covers airings about two quarters earlier: the 20 November 2026 payment covers April to June 2026.
When does ASCAP pay royalties?
Writers in January, April, July and October, for airings about three quarters earlier. Publishers in March, June, September and December, about two quarters earlier. Foreign income in February, May, August and November.
When does PRS for Music pay?
Its main payments are in April, July, October and December, with monthly payments for online and live concert royalties. PRS says a January TV airing usually pays in July.
When does GEMA pay TV royalties?
Once a year on 1 July, for the previous year. From 2026 there is also a supplementary payment on 1 November for late registrations and claims.
When does SOCAN pay?
In mid February, mid May, mid August and mid November. January to March performances pay in mid November the same year, and each later quarter pays three months after that.
Related
- TV placement not paid yet? When it should pay, and how to claim it: how long each society takes, what to check first, and the steps to claim a missing payment.
- Why do foreign TV royalties take so long?: how an airing abroad reaches you, why it takes one to two years, and who to ask.
- ASCAP census and sample surveys: why an airing can pay $0: what census and sample mean, why a confirmed airing can pay nothing, and what to ask ASCAP.
- Why didn't I get paid for my TV placement?: the five reasons an airing goes unpaid, and how to tell which one it is.
Who makes this
ONTRK is built by Marc Aaron Jacobs, a composer who runs the libraries Tonal Chaos and Tonal Chaos Trailers, and who built DropCue. Questions go to hello@ontrk.app and reach him directly.
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