Per Grok:
Question: If she puts the film up for free on YouTube, should she register the songs with licensing company like ASCAP?
Answer: Yes, she should register the songs with a PRO like ASCAP (or alternatives such as BMI or SESAC) if she wants to collect performance royalties from the film's YouTube upload.
Why Register?
YouTube pays royalties for public performances of music via blanket licenses with PROs. ASCAP (and similar organizations) collects fees from YouTube for uses of their members' compositions and distributes them to registered songwriters/publishers.
Even for a free film upload (non-monetized or ad-supported), views can generate performance royalties for the underlying musical compositions if properly registered and claimed through YouTube's Content ID system.
Without PRO registration, she likely misses out on these royalties entirely, as the organizations won't know to pay her. Registering the works (after joining) ensures proper crediting and payout.
This is separate from:
Copyright registration (with the U.S. Copyright Office) — which protects the songs and is recommended for legal enforcement but isn't handled by ASCAP.
Sync rights — already covered since she created the music for her own film.
Sound recording/master rights — handled via distributors or YouTube uploads for the audio tracks.
Practical Steps for Her AI Film Project:
Join a PRO (e.g., ASCAP writer membership is free; publisher has a fee). She's eligible once the music is publicly available (like in a YouTube video).
Register the specific songs/works with the PRO (title, writers, publishers, splits). This is key for distribution.
Upload the film to YouTube and ensure the soundtrack audio gets into Content ID (via distributor if needed).
Claims on her own video will route royalties back to her.
Consider joining as both writer and publisher to capture the full share.
Royalties won't be huge for a free/low-view indie film (micro-payments per view), but they add up with growth, shares, or other uses (e.g., if others embed or use clips). It's low-effort future-proofing, especially for an AI-generated soundtrack she fully owns.
Note: ASCAP/BMI don't replace proper copyright; they're for ongoing performance collection. For her 30-day AI film, this fits well with low-budget promotion. Consult the PRO's site or a music attorney for her specific setup.