Royalty coverage
Does ASCAP collect YouTube publishing royalties?
Partly
YouTube pays ASCAP a licensing fee for the performance of members' music. This is the PERFORMANCE slice only, not the YouTube reproduction/mechanical component.
What this stream is. The composition side of YouTube revenue, distinct from the recording side above.
Worth knowing about ASCAP
- ★ Joining a PRO does NOT get you your mechanicals. This is the single most common and most expensive misunderstanding in independent music.
- Joining as WRITER ONLY leaves the 50% publisher share of every performance uncollected. ASCAP waives its $50 publisher fee if you join as writer and publisher at the same time, so the cost of doing it right is zero if done at signup.
- "ASCAP handles my sync" is false. It collects only the downstream performance.
Read from ASCAP's own documentation on 2026-08-13. Check it yourself — and if it has changed, tell us.