Beat licence matrix
Can I register this song with ASCAP or BMI?
Exclusive rights licence
On the Exclusive rights tier, register the song with your pro is permitted as these agreements are ordinarily written. You may register the song, but you must register it with the correct splits. The producer of a leased or exclusive beat is ordinarily a co-writer and holds a writer's share.
The trap
Registering yourself at 100% because the licence said 'exclusive' is a misregistration, not a shortcut. It surfaces later as a dispute or as royalties held in suspense.
What to check in your agreement
The producer's stated writer's share, usually 50% of the composition unless negotiated.
The same question on every other tier
| Licence tier | Register the song with your PRO |
|---|---|
| Free (tagged) | Depends on the contract |
| Basic (MP3) | Permitted |
| Premium (WAV) | Permitted |
| Trackout / Stems | Permitted |
| Unlimited lease | Permitted |
What this tier is
The beat comes off the market. It does NOT mean you own it: in most exclusive agreements the producer keeps the writer's share and the publishing. Typical price: $300–2,000+.
Scope limit. This models the STANDARD form of each tier. Any individual agreement overrides it. Where a cell says 'depends', the answer is genuinely contract-specific and no general resource can resolve it.
Part of the Beat Licence Checker and
an open dataset published under CC-BY 4.0. Reuse it, including commercially, with attribution.
Last reviewed 2026-08-12.