SESAC
SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers) is a U.S. performing rights organization (PRO) that licenses and collects Performance Royalties for its songwriter, composer, and music publisher members.
SESAC is the third major performing rights organization in the United States, alongside ASCAP and BMI. Unlike its larger counterparts, SESAC operates on an invitation-only basis, maintaining a smaller, more curated roster of affiliates. This allows SESAC to offer a more personalized service to its members, often resulting in higher per-performance royalty rates due to its selective membership model. SESAC's core function, like other PROs, is to license the public performance of musical compositions, collect Performance Royalties from music users, and distribute those royalties to its affiliated songwriters, composers, and music publishers.
SESAC issues Blanket Licenses to businesses that publicly perform music, covering its catalog of works. Its selective approach means that while its catalog might be smaller than ASCAP's or BMI's, it often includes high-profile artists and songwriters. For creators, an invitation to join SESAC can be a significant career milestone, offering a distinct advantage in royalty collection and administration. Understanding the differences between the PROs is important for songwriters and publishers when deciding where to affiliate.
A television network that uses a song written by a SESAC-affiliated songwriter in one of its shows would pay a licensing fee to SESAC. SESAC would then ensure that the songwriter and their publisher receive their share of the Performance Royalty.
For artists and songwriters, melabel helps manage the business of music. While melabel doesn't directly handle PRO affiliations, its Music Analytics can track the public performance of your compositions, providing data that can be used to ensure accurate royalty collection from organizations like SESAC.