Guide · The business of songwriting
Songwriting organizations: NSAI, ASCAP and BMI
NSAI, ASCAP and BMI do different jobs. NSAI is a not-for-profit trade association for songwriters. ASCAP and BMI are performing rights organizations that collect royalties when music is publicly performed. This page uses each organization's own description. It is general information, not legal advice.
Updated 25 Oct 2026
NSAI
The Nashville Songwriters Association International describes itself as a not-for-profit trade association that offers services to professional and aspiring songwriters. Its pages say it was founded in 1967, that advocacy is at the front of its mission, and that it has chapters in many places. Its membership options include credits for song evaluations, and there is a separate professional tier for working songwriters with its own eligibility rules, so check its site. Prices on NSAI's own pages differ from page to page, so check its site before you join. (Source: nashvillesongwriters.com, checked 25 Oct 2026.)
ASCAP
ASCAP says it pays performance royalties when your music is played publicly by businesses around the world. Its join page says joining is free for writers, and that as a writer you can belong to only one US performing rights organization at a time. (Source: ome.ascap.com, checked 20 Oct 2026.)
BMI
BMI says songwriters join it to ensure they get paid when their music is publicly played. Its join page asks for a valid email address and links its standard writer agreement, and states no fee. (Source: bmi.com/join, checked 20 Oct 2026.)
How they differ
| NSAI | ASCAP and BMI | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A songwriters' trade association | Performing rights organizations |
| What it does | Education, feedback, events and advocacy, as it describes itself | Collect royalties for public performances of members' songs, as they describe themselves |
| Joining | Several membership types; check its site | ASCAP: its page says free for writers. BMI: its page states no fee |
Which should I join?
A trade association does not do a PRO's job, so they are not substitutes. Many writers belong to both. For choosing between ASCAP and BMI, see BMI vs ASCAP, and how to register a song. Read any agreement before you sign, and ask a music lawyer if you are unsure.
Keep your details together
In songdrafts every take of a song stacks on one card in the order you add them unless you reorder them, with the lyrics and notes on the same song.
Common questions
What is NSAI?
The Nashville Songwriters Association International, a not-for-profit trade association for songwriters, according to its own pages.
Is NSAI the same as ASCAP or BMI?
No. ASCAP and BMI are performing rights organizations. NSAI is a trade association.
Do I have to join a songwriting organization?
Joining is optional, as far as these organizations' own pages say. Ask a music lawyer if it matters.
Is ASCAP free for songwriters?
ASCAP's join page says joining is free for writers.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is general information based on the organizations' own pages.
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