Performing rights organizations (PROs) are
entities that issue licenses to, and collect royalties from,
television stations and other parties who wish to perform or
broadcast copyrighted musical compositions. There are three PROs in
the United States, the largest of which are ASCAP
and BMI. The other PRO, the Society
of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC) has until
recently been the Jan Brady of the bunch – born in the
middle and often overlooked. Founded in 1930 to represent European
composers, it later concentrated on the Christian music genre.
Because ASCAP and BMI are bigger, they are also better known,
not only by licensees and composers, but also by antitrust
regulators. Since the 1940's, BMI and ASCAP have been the
target of numerous private antitrust lawsuits and government
actions, and both have entered into consent decrees with the
Department of Justice that place controls and restrictions on their
licensing activities. SESAC, on the other hand,
