Performing Rights Licenses
Each time your song is performed in public, you are entitled to receive royalty income for that public performance. It doesn't matter whether your song is performed by a live band, or if a recorded version of your song is played. Both can qualify as a public performance. That means your song is performed publicly when a recording of it is broadcast on a radio station, when it is played as part of a television program or when it is played in a nightclub. To comply with copyright law, the radio station, television network, or club must have a performing rights license authorizing the public performance.
With some limited exceptions, performing rights apply only to the song and not to the sound recording. Each time a song is performed publicly, the songwriter - but not the recording artist singing the song or the record company that released the record - is entitled to receive compensation.

To eliminate the need to negotiate a separate license with each radio station, night club, and restaurant that wants to perform their song, songwriters or their music publishers affiliate with performing rights societies. ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are the performing rights societies in the United States. These associations specialize in negotiating performing rights licenses and collecting performing rights revenues. The societies often negotiate blanket licenses with radio stations, television networks, and restaurants that allow those organizations to perform any song in the catalog of the performing rights society issuing the blanket license.