How come I can’t get performing right royalties without joining a PRO?
Because royalty payments to writers and publishers by ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are based upon a contract in which the writer agrees to give the PRO his or her licensing rights and the PRO agrees to pay royalties in exchange. There is nothing in the law that requires a PRO to pay money to a writer or publisher without first establishing a relationship on their terms. If a writer never joins a PRO, he would have to get his royalties on his own from those who perform his works.
