Performing Rights Organization (PRO) is a collective management organization that represents songwriters, composers, and music publishers, and licenses their music for public performance. ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) and BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) are examples of PROs in the United States.
PROs in the United States, such as ASCAP and BMI, primarily collect royalties for public performance of musical works, such as on radio and TV broadcasts, live performances, and digital streaming services. These PROs generally do not collect mechanical royalties, which are paid for the reproduction of musical works, such as for the sale of physical recordings or digital downloads.
In contrast, most collective management organizations outside the USA, such as GEMA (Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte), SACEM (Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique) and JASREC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers), do collect both performing rights and mechanical rights royalties. This means that in addition to licensing music for public performance, they also collect fees for the reproduction of musical works, such as for the sale of physical recordings or digital downloads.