You wrote the words. A tool helped with the sound. Now you want the song out in the world, and you want to do it right.
There is a fair way to do this. It comes down to one habit: say what you made, and say what the machine made.
Here is the process, step by step.
General info, not legal advice. These rules are still moving. Check the sources at the bottom, and talk to a music lawyer about your own songs.
First, two different registrations
People mix these up all the time. They are not the same thing.
- Copyright registration happens at the US Copyright Office. It puts your claim to the human-made parts of a song on the public record. It has a filing fee, and it matters if you ever have to defend the song.
- PRO registration happens at BMI or ASCAP. It tells them who wrote the song so they can track and pay performance royalties. In the US, The MLC handles mechanical royalties from streaming. None of these give you a copyright.
All of them care about the same question: how much of this song did a human write? Publishing is also not the same as distribution. Here is that difference.
Step 1. Know what you wrote
Before any form, sit with the song and sort it into two piles.
The US Copyright Office spelled out the line in its January 2025 report on AI and copyrightability:
- Using AI as a tool to assist your creativity does not take away protection for what you made.
- Material that is purely AI-generated is not protected.
- Prompts alone, as the technology works today, do not give enough control to make you the author of the output.
- What can be protected: your own expression that shows up in the result (like lyrics you wrote), your creative selection and arrangement of material, and your creative changes to AI output.
- It is decided case by case.
So make a quick list. Lyrics: you or AI? Melody: you or AI? Instrumental and arrangement? Vocals? What did you change, cut, rewrite or rearrange by hand?
Not sure your song counts? Take the three-question check in Can my AI song be published?
Can you copyright AI music if you wrote the lyrics?
Your lyrics, yes. Words you wrote are human authorship. The AI-generated music under them is a different story. If the tool made it from your prompts, you generally can't claim it. If you wrote the melody, or made real creative changes, those parts can count.
On the copyright form you claim the lyrics and anything else you made, and you exclude the AI-generated parts. More on that in Step 4. We also wrote about this exact setup: your lyrics plus an AI recording.
Step 2. Document it
Receipts protect you. Keep them from the first draft.
- Dated lyric drafts, notes and voice memos.
- Your prompts, and which generations you kept or threw away.
- Project files and notes on what you edited, cut or rearranged.
- A split sheet, signed by every human writer.
A split sheet with a human vs AI section
A normal split sheet lists the song title, the date, and every writer with their legal name, PRO, IPI number and share. For AI-assisted songs, add a short section underneath:
- Human parts: who wrote the lyrics, who wrote the melody, who made which edits.
- AI parts: what was generated. For example, "instrumental backing track generated by AI" or "background vocals generated by AI."
- Shares: only humans get a share. AI is never a writer. Both BMI and ASCAP say an AI company can't be listed as a writer or author.
The shares between the human writers still add up to 100%. That section just makes the record honest, and it matches what you will say on the copyright form later.
Step 3. Register the human part: how to get an IPI number for free
To be paid as a songwriter, you join a PRO and get a writer IPI number. That number is how the industry knows it is you.
- Joining BMI as a songwriter is free. BMI says there are no fees or annual dues for songwriters.
- Plai walks you through it, step by step, in our free IPI guide.
- Got your IPI? Save it in Settings so it is ready when you publish.
Can I register AI music with BMI or ASCAP?
If a human wrote part of it, yes. In October 2025, ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN announced the same policy: they accept works that combine AI-generated material with human authorship. Fully AI-generated works are not eligible.
BMI breaks songs into tiers. Written by a human with no AI. Written by a human with AI assisting. Human writing combined with some AI-generated content. Those are accepted. A song made from prompts only is not, even with lots of prompts. BMI says partly AI songs are paid the same as other songs, as long as they meet the Copyright Office's bar for human creativity.
When you register, list only the human writers. If a prompt-only song is already registered at BMI, BMI asks you to email reviseworks@bmi.com to remove it.
The MLC follows the Copyright Office too. Works with meaningful human authorship can be registered. Works entirely generated by AI can't. The MLC says it does not decide for you whether your song meets that bar.
Step 4. Disclose AI honestly, at copyright and at distribution
At the Copyright Office
This part is a duty, not a suggestion. The Office's March 2023 guidance says applicants must disclose AI-generated content that is more than a tiny part of the work, and briefly explain what the human made.
- Use the Standard Application.
- In the "Author Created" field, describe what you made. For example, "lyrics" or "lyrics and melody."
- Don't list an AI tool or the company behind it as an author or co-author.
- Exclude the AI parts under Limitation of the Claim, in "Material Excluded," then "Other." For example, "instrumental music generated by artificial intelligence."
- Already registered a song without saying it used AI? The Office says to file a supplementary registration to fix the record. Leaving it wrong can put the registration at risk.
At your PRO
BMI says it will soon let writers disclose AI use at registration. It recommends disclosure but does not require it, and you don't have to report everyday production tools. ASCAP says the same idea plainly: you can claim the human-created parts and not the AI parts.
At distribution
The music industry's data standard, DDEX, now has fields to flag whether a recording contains AI: all, partly or none. It can also flag AI contributions to things like vocals or instruments. Your distributor sends that along with your release.
- Spotify helped build this DDEX standard. In April 2026 it started a beta that shows AI credits in Song Credits on mobile, for parts like lyrics, vocals, instruments or production, when your distributor supports it. If a human and AI both worked on the same part, Spotify says to credit them separately. Spotify says disclosure is not about ranking songs lower. It is about trust.
- Spotify does not allow vocal impersonation of a real artist without that artist's permission.
- Deezer tags albums that contain fully AI-generated tracks, and keeps fully AI tracks out of its algorithmic recommendations and editorial playlists.
On PLAIGROUND, you pick one of three on upload: No AI, AI-assisted or Fully AI. Tell the truth on upload. Why the label matters.
Step 5. AI music royalties: what you can and can't collect
What you can collect
- Performance royalties through your PRO, for songs with real human authorship.
- Mechanical royalties through The MLC, for songs with meaningful human authorship.
- Money from streams of the recording, through your distributor, under its terms and each platform's rules.
What you can't collect
- PRO or MLC royalties for a song made from prompts only.
- A writer share "for the AI." There is no such share.
- Copyright protection for the parts the AI generated.
The Copyright Office also told The MLC it may look into a work, and hold its royalties, when the facts suggest no human wrote it. Examples it gave: an unusually large number of works registered in a short time, or a public statement that the song was made by AI.
Registering makes you eligible to be paid. It does not promise any amount.
Step 6. Common mistakes
- Listing the AI tool or company as a writer.
- Registering prompt-only songs at a PRO or The MLC.
- Claiming the whole song on the copyright form without excluding the AI parts.
- Marking "No AI" at distribution when AI was used.
- Registering a huge batch of songs in a short time.
- Using a voice that sounds like a real artist without their permission.
- Throwing away drafts and prompts.
- Thinking PRO registration is the same as copyright registration.
How to publish and copyright my AI music with PLAIGROUND
- Get your writer IPI with the free IPI guide, then save it in Settings.
- Label your song honestly on upload: No AI, AI-assisted or Fully AI.
- Choose Publish my song with PLAIGROUND. We register your songs with BMI and The MLC and handle the paperwork. Your AI disclosure carries over from the rights attestation you completed at submission. No upfront cost. No promises on how much a song earns.
- Want a registration at the Copyright Office too? That one is filed in your name at copyright.gov, using the steps in Step 4. Our copyright and publishing page has more.
BMI, ASCAP and The MLC make their own decisions. We are not partners with them, and we don't speak for them.
FAQ
Can I register AI music with BMI or ASCAP?
Yes, if a human wrote part of it. Fully AI-generated and prompt-only songs are not eligible. List only human writers.
Can you copyright AI music if you wrote the lyrics?
You can register your lyrics, and anything else you made. Exclude the AI-generated music on the form.
How do I get an IPI number for free?
Join BMI as a songwriter. It is free, with no annual dues. Our IPI guide walks you through it.
Do I have to tell anyone I used AI?
At the Copyright Office, yes, it is required. At BMI, it is recommended but not required. At distribution, use your distributor's AI disclosure if it has one.
Will disclosing AI hurt my song?
Spotify says its AI credits are not about ranking songs lower. Deezer keeps fully AI tracks out of recommendations, so being honest about AI-assisted work is the better path. Hiding it is the risk.
Does the AI get a share of the song?
No. AI is never a writer. Shares are split between the humans.
General info, not legal advice. Policies change. Check each source before you file.
Sources: US Copyright Office, Copyright and AI Part 2: Copyrightability (Jan 2025), US Copyright Office, registration guidance for works containing AI-generated material (Mar 2023), US Copyright Office letter to The MLC on AI-created works (Apr 2023), BMI, ASCAP, BMI and SOCAN align on AI registration (Oct 2025), ASCAP press release (Oct 2025), BMI and AI, ASCAP and AI, BMI Creators FAQ, The MLC, AI-generated works, DDEX ERN, ContainsAI, Spotify newsroom (Sept 2025, updated Apr 2026), Spotify, AI credits, Deezer newsroom (June 2025).