Austin, TX · Population 974,000 · ~5,200 bars & restaurants

Music licensing for bars in Austin, TX.

Austin brands itself "Live Music Capital of the World." Every venue with a stage is a PRO target by default — and the four PROs each license a different slice of what your bands are playing on any given night.

What would a Austin bar pay?

Enter your venue capacity. We'll estimate the monthly cost across all four PROs.

What Austin bar owners are facing

Four Performing Rights Organizations. Four bills. Four portals. Four chances to get sued. The math doesn't care which city you're in.

Real talk:

A mid-size venue in Texas received a five-figure BMI demand letter in 2023 after letting their renewal lapse for a single quarter.

Statutory damages: up to $150,000 per song. Performing Rights Organization win rate in court: virtually 100%.

ASCAP

American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

Quotes in January, pays by March

BMI

Broadcast Music, Inc.

Quotes in April, pays by June

SESAC

Society of European Stage Authors and Composers

Invite-only, negotiated rates

GMR

Global Music Rights

Direct negotiation only

Plus your Texas on-premises liquor license is regulated by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) — and PRO field reps cross-reference those records.

Why bars in Texas use Nibbles and Bits

Whether you're a Austin neighborhood spot or a multi-location operator, the playbook is the same: one quote, one signature, one monthly bill.

1

One quote, all four PROs

Tell us about your venue — capacity, music type, hours. We calculate exact fees across ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR for Austin venues like yours.

2

We pay the PROs in full

We cut the checks to all four PROs the day you sign. You stop hearing from them. Your Texas license file stays clean.

3

One monthly payment

Predictable, monthly, automatic. Quarterly plan available. We handle renewals, certificates, and any PRO follow-ups for the life of your account.

What Texas operators say

I was paying four different organizations on four different schedules and still got a cease-and-desist because I missed a renewal. Nibbles and Bits took over everything in one afternoon. Haven’t thought about it since.

Bar owner, Texas

150-cap restaurant & bar

My GM didn’t even know SESAC existed. We’d been paying ASCAP and BMI for years and figured we were covered. We weren’t.

Operator, Texas

Two-location restaurant group

The annual lump sums were killing my January cash flow. One monthly payment is what I’d been begging the PROs for since I opened.

Owner, Texas

200-cap neighborhood bar

Ready to lock in Austin compliance?

Get a quote in minutes, or run a free risk check first to see exactly where you stand.

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