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BMI is committed to protecting copyright to ensure that its songwriters, composers and music publishers are fairly compensated for the use of their work. BMI also values its relationships with those businesses that use music, offering access to the world’s most popular music for hundreds of thousands of licensees throughout the United States.

Additionally, BMI is dedicated to fostering new talent and supporting music careers from the ground up. The organization’s layered approach to songwriter and composer development includes educational, creative and promotional opportunities, such as:

Showcases
BMI stages showcases all over the country. Weekly, monthly, quarterly or annually, these series highlight both bold new voices and established hit-makers: Acoustic Lounge at SXSW, Speed Dating for Songwriters, Show and Tell, Sonidos Showcase, Know them Now, Next Big Wave and Songwriter Social Club are just a few of the showcases organized by BMI’s regional offices.

To learn more, contact your regional BMI office and stay up-to-date by viewing the BMI.com events calendar.

Festivals and Conferences
BMI books stages and performance slots at premier festivals and conferences throughout the year, including SXSW, Maui Songwriters Festival, Luck Reunion, Lollapalooza, Hangout Fest, ONE Music Fest, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Key West Songwriters Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, LAMC, Premios Tu Musica Urbana, Expo Compositores, numerous Billboard-led conferences, and more.

Panels
From BMI events like How I Wrote That Song, Speakers Series, She’s The Music to in-depth conversations at top tier festivals including Sundance, Comic-con, Tribeca Film Festival and SXSW, BMI panels offer invaluable insights and advice from insiders throughout the year.

Workshops
Held in New York City, the Tony award-winning BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is an elite creative hub that nurtures the brightest new talent within the musical theatre community. The BMI Jazz Composers Workshop, founded in 1988, was formed to foster composition for the jazz big band. BMI 101 is an hour-long introductory workshop for writers and publishers, which discusses the history of performing rights, the origins of BMI and the current role BMI plays in the complex, ever-evolving music industry. The BMI Conductor’s Workshop is a four-week course taught by conductor Lucas Richman for BMI composers who are looking to refine their conducting skills. BMI annually sponsors the NYU TV Scoring Workshop and the NYU Music for Advertising Workshop where students attend two weeks of hands-on scoring, critiques, panels and recording under the mentorship of esteemed composers in their respective industries.

BMI members can avoid any delay in receiving royalty payments by signing up for Direct Deposit to their bank account.

Direct Deposit offers instant access to your royalty payments without the worry of waiting for checks to arrive, cashing them or misplacing them. When signing up for these benefits, you can also help us in our efforts to “go green” by choosing to receive your royalty statement electronically. Applications for these programs are available within Online Services.

BMI’s partnering with Payoneer allows those without a U.S. bank account to take advantage of direct deposit benefits, see more.

BMI offers a broad spectrum of discounts created specifically for its affiliates, including savings on subscriptions, educational programs and professional gear.

Learn more about the menu of BMI benefits available in our Benefits section.