At BMI we register as classical those works that generally conform to traditional classical practice in their creation and performance, such as:

• An original composition created for a live classical concert
• A fully notated, through-composed score that is the primary documentation of the work
• Composed by one person; performed by others
• Scored primarily for acoustic instruments with a minimum of processing or amplification (with the exception of fixed electroacoustic media or live electronics in an otherwise classical setting)

If the work falls outside of classical practice as outlined above, or if it is more closely described by one of the following, we would not register it classical:

• Arrangement of a classical work in the public domain
• Scores or cues created for film or television
• Jazz chart or pop song, or an arrangement thereof
• Work that was created for an album, but won’t imminently be performed on a concert

Arrangements are not eligible for the Live Classical distribution at BMI because they are not original works. Arrangements are, however, eligible for royalties from all other sources. Therefore, please register arrangements by selecting “all other genres” at the beginning of the work registration process.

Please send a completed Premiere Report Form, along with a copy of the concert program, to BMI. BMI is able to license the first performance of a work in the United States (U.S. premiere) only if we receive written authorization from you or your publisher. This serves to protect your right to control the circumstances of first performance. For more information, please review our guidelines for reporting classical performances.

At BMI, we only register as “classical” works that are eligible for the live classical distribution: those that are original (not arrangements), and that are composed for live concert performance by a classical ensemble or under a classical license. If you have never registered a classical work before, please contact the classical department at classical@bmi.com.

All work titles appear in your catalog without punctuation for the purpose of standardizing titles. This is done automatically during the registration process.

Yes, we still accept both the PDF and paper classical work registration forms. They should be sent to us either via email to classicalworkregistrations@bmi.com or by regular mail to the NY Classical office.

The classical department adds your last name to the beginning of classical works so that they are more easily searchable in our database. Your works also appear without your last name to ensure that they are easily matched to performances from other non-classical sources.

Generally, individual movements should not be registered as separate works; BMI has a system of in-house registrations to accommodate occasional performances of excerpts or movements from larger works. However, if a movement is being performed frequently and exists as an independent work, the classical department will request a registration from you.

Please contact the classical department.

If your work is performed as a transcription for another instrument, then you’d still be credited with the performance of the original version of the work. There is no need to update the registration unless you’ve created an official alternate instrumentation for one of the works that already appears in your catalog. In the latter case, email classical@bmi.com to add the new instrumentation to the existing title.

To add a movement to a work that already appears in your BMI catalog, please send an email to classical@bmi.com with the updated duration of the full work. Please do not register the new movement separately.