Joining a PRO abroad, or two PROs at once: what the rules actually allow

Yes, you can usually join a performing rights organisation (PRO) in another country, and some cost nothing to join: SOCAN in Canada says "there is no cost to become a SOCAN member" (SOCAN FAQ). You can also belong to two societies, but never for the same territory: each song needs exactly one society speaking for you in each country.

If you are new to PROs, start with what a PRO is and our longer PRO explainer. This guide is for two specific situations: there is no society where you live, or you are wondering whether a second society would collect more. It reflects the sources as we read them on 29 Oct 2026, and it is practical guidance, not legal advice.

What it costs to join, cheapest first

Membership fees vary a lot, and they matter most when you are choosing a society that isn't on your doorstep.

PRS frames its fee as a threshold: it recommends joining "when you're likely to earn more than £100 in royalties over a year", which covers the one-off fee (PRS). GEMA's annual fee works differently. It is deducted from your royalties at the end of the year, and if your royalties don't cover it you pay the difference by bank transfer (GEMA). For a writer with little income yet, a yearly charge is a real cost; a one-off or free membership is not.

We could not open current official fee pages for ASCAP or IPRS for this guide, so we are not quoting their fees. Check their own sites before you apply. For India, our step-by-step guide to registering a song with IPRS covers the process.

When there is no PRO at home

Not every country has its own society. CISAC, the global confederation of authors' societies, says it has over 225 member societies in more than 110 countries (CISAC). That is wide coverage, but not every country.

If you live somewhere without one, you have two routes:

• Join a society that takes members from abroad. PRS says you can "join PRS from anywhere in the world" (PRS). BMI says it has an "open-door policy, meaning anyone can sign up as an affiliate" (BMI 101). Some societies also license whole territories for others. PRS, for example, publishes music licensing guides and tariffs for the Bahamas and Bermuda (PRS-managed territories).
• Rely on the network. Once you are a member anywhere, your society collects from abroad through its partners. PRS says it works with affiliated societies in over 150 territories (PRS). SOCAN says it collects international royalties "through their reciprocal agreements with other territories" (SOCAN FAQ).

What we think: for most writers without a local society, the first filter is cost, and the second is where the music is actually played. A free society with good reciprocal coverage beats a prestigious one with an annual fee your royalties may not cover. If most of your plays happen in one country, a society in that country sees the local data first. That is our reasoning, not a rule any society publishes.

Two PROs: the territory rule

This is where people get it wrong. Being "in two PROs" only works when each society covers different countries. You can't ask two societies to collect for the same song in the same country.

PRS documents the mechanism. If you want another society to represent you somewhere, you send PRS a hand-signed letter asking it to exclude that territory (or several) from your agreements. PRS then amends "the international database of performing rights societies", and you can join the other society for those territories (PRS). PRS also warns that if no society covers you in a territory, "you may miss out on royalties", so you should join the other society quickly (PRS).

That shared database is the point of the process. Our reading: two societies claiming the same territory for you would create a conflict in that database, and a conflict is more likely to hold money up than to pay it twice.

Co-writers can be in different societies

You don't need everyone on a song to be in your PRO. When you register a work at BMI, you supply your co-writers' names, their IPI numbers, "their affiliated PRO(s)" and the split (BMI 101). So a writer in India and a writer in Canada can share a song, each registering their own share at their own society. Agree the shares first on a split sheet, and see collecting royalty splits for getting each share paid.

Is a second society worth it?

Usually not, for an independent writer. Your home society already collects from abroad through its partners, and splitting territories adds paperwork and a gap risk. There are cases where it can make sense:

• You moved country and most of your income now comes from the new one.
• One country is a large share of your income and your home society's partner there pays slowly. SOCAN notes that foreign societies can be "at least one quarter behind" its own distributions, and some smaller ones pay once a year or less (SOCAN FAQ).
• A publisher or administrator advises it for a specific market. See publishing admin vs a publishing deal.

If you do it, change one territory at a time, follow your current society's exclusion process exactly, and confirm the new membership starts before the old coverage ends.

Quick checklist

1. List where your music is actually played or streamed.
2. Compare joining costs, starting with the free options.
3. Join one society for the world first.
4. Only split territories if one country clearly justifies it, and use your society's written exclusion process.
5. Register every song with your co-writers' societies and splits.