Do Songwriters Get Paid When They Play Their Own Songs Live? How to Report a Setlist to ASCAP, BMI or SESAC

You wrote the song. You played it for forty people on a Friday night. Nobody sent you a cent. That is the usual story, and it is not always because the song earned nothing.

Songwriters can be paid for live shows, but the PROs usually need you to report them. A PRO (performing rights organization) such as ASCAP, BMI or SESAC licenses venues, but it cannot see every set list. This guide shows how to report your shows, which paperwork comes first, and the deadlines worth knowing before the year closes.

Why a gig only pays if you report it

Hypebot's guide to setlist reporting asks how a PRO could possibly know what song was performed, and by whom, at thousands of gigs across the country each week. It says most PROs look at things like ticket sales reports and chart positions to calculate payments. It also warns that reporting setlists does not guarantee larger payments.

Songtrust's help center explains that live royalties from ASCAP's OnStage program are distributed to songwriters and publishers based on the venue's license fee. It adds that bigger venues pay more in license fees, so their shows earn more. Think of a setlist report as a way to collect money you would otherwise miss, not as a salary.

Three things to have in place first

• Be a member of the PRO, with the songs registered. Songtrust's ASCAP guide says songs must be registered with ASCAP before you add them to a setlist.
• Set up direct deposit. Songtrust says it is a prerequisite for submitting setlists to ASCAP, and BMI pays live royalties quarterly to members who already have direct deposit set up.
• Keep a simple log of every show: the date, the venue's name and address, and the songs you played with their exact titles. SESAC also asks for the venue's capacity and any music fees.

How each PRO handles it

• ASCAP OnStage. Members submit performances through Member Access or on mobile. It covers U.S. shows and does not support classical events. One writer's submission credits every entitled songwriter and publisher on the music performed, and you can save a setlist to reuse across a tour.
• BMI Live. Hypebot says it is open to all BMI songwriters performing in a venue of any size across the U.S. Songtrust's guide says you report setlists from the past six months, covers included, through your BMI account or the mobile app.
• SESAC. Log in to the SESAC portal, open the Performance Info tab, choose Add Performance, and complete three steps: performance details, song selection, and review and submit. Affiliated writers or their representatives can also send bulk setlists for large tours.
• Another society. The guides we read give no steps for GMR. Songtrust says there is no standard list of requirements for submitting setlists and that the rules depend on the country and the pay source, so check your society's member portal.

Not every event qualifies. Songtrust's list of performances you cannot submit to BMI Live includes weddings, birthday and anniversary parties, internet performances, private house concerts, unpermitted street performances and public-domain music. Live classical music and live radio or TV are paid in separate distributions.

Deadlines, and when the money arrives

The windows are short. For BMI, both Hypebot and Songtrust say you can enter setlists from the previous six months. ASCAP sets quarterly cutoffs, which its OnStage page lists. CD Baby's DIY Musician guide, written in 2017, and a July 2026 guide from Royalty Copilot give the same pattern.

• Shows from January to March: due June 30.
• April to June: due September 30.
• July to September: due December 31.
• October to December: due March 31 of the next year.

Neither guide is ASCAP itself, so check the OnStage page for the current table. If the pattern still holds, shows from July to September need to be in by December 31. A show on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, November 28, would be due March 31, 2027.

Payment comes later still. Songtrust says live performance royalties generally arrive six to nine months after the performance, and BMI pays Live royalties quarterly.

Playing in a mixed band

Hypebot's advice is to report each songwriter's setlist only to that songwriter's own PRO. The reason is that venues are told they need a license from each PRO, and no PRO offers a fractional license that would cover a setlist split among several societies.

A five-minute habit

• Write the setlist in your phone before you leave the venue.
• Submit right after a show or a run of shows. Do not wait for the quarter to end.
• Report only shows you played yourself, and save a recurring setlist to reuse at holiday shows.
• Put your PRO's cutoff dates in your calendar.
• Keep a copy of each report with your income records. Our guide to songwriter tax paperwork lists what to gather before the year ends.

If other artists perform your songs

Songtrust says live performance royalties are owed to a songwriter whether they play the song themselves or another performer does. Licenses on Starchild cover performing a song live, so artists who license songs may play yours on stage. For your own gigs, the report is yours to file. For theirs, what you control is registration. Make sure the title, writers and splits at your PRO match your license certificates, so any report that includes your song can reach you. Our guide to songwriter metadata explains the codes, and how a play becomes a royalty shows the other paths.

Sources

• Hypebot: How to report setlists to PROs after shows and why you should
• Songtrust: How to Collect Live Performance Royalties
• Songtrust Help: How Do I Submit A Setlist Through ASCAP?
• Songtrust Help: How Do I Submit a Setlist Through BMI?
• Songtrust Help: Are There Any Performances That I Can Not Submit To BMI Live?
• Songtrust Help: When and How Much Will I Earn for My Live Performances?
• Songtrust Help: Will Songtrust Collect for My Live Performances, or Will Those Royalties Be Sent to Me By My PRO?
• CD Baby DIY Musician: How to Collect Your Live Performance Royalties
• Royalty Copilot: Live Performance Royalties 2026, Get Paid for Gigs