UX Practice / Working draft / April 2026

Who licenses
with BMI.

A working framework for understanding the people behind every Eating & Drinking Establishment account. Built from limited research, sharpened by inference, and designed to grow.

Scope
Eating & Drinking Establishments. Chains in Phase 2.
Source
3 external sessions, 2 internal sessions, Nov–Dec 2025
Version
v1.0 — synthesis with research gaps flagged
Owner
UX team, Enspirit at BMI
01 / Framework

Four personas. Two modes.
Built to be added to.

Each persona below is a working hypothesis about a real population of BMI licensees. Every behavior carries a confidence flag, so it is always clear what is observed externally, what is inferred, and what is assumed.

Validated Observed across 2+ external research sessions, or directly stated by external licensee participants.
Inferred Drawn from a single external session, internal session signal, or strong adjacent evidence.
Assumption Stakeholder hypothesis or industry knowledge, not yet seen in external research.
C
Owner-Operator

Casey

Is this real, and what do I owe?

Locations1
Visits1–4 / year
WantsQuick, plain, mobile
M
Multi-Unit Operator

Marcus

Did this apply to one location, or all of them?

Locations3–30
VisitsMonthly+
WantsCentralized, scoped
R
Finance Delegate

Renee

Can I prove this for an audit?

LocationsVaries
VisitsMonthly+
WantsAuditable, exportable
J
Music-Forward Operator

Jordan

How do I keep up across multiple PROs?

Locations1–few
VisitsWeekly+
WantsMobile, modern, smart
C
The Owner-Operator

Casey

Runs a single-location restaurant, bar, taproom, brewery, or cafe. Owns it, runs it, often co-owns it with one or two partners who handle the back-of-house. Music is background, not the product. Licensing is one of many things competing for attention, but they want to do it right.

External signal

Grounded in a moderated session with Carl Meier (co-founder, Black Abbey Brewing, Nashville, Dec 2025). Single-location taproom with pre-recorded music. Phase 1 should add 3 to 4 more EDE owner-operator sessions to validate breadth.

Business shape
Single location, owner-led, often family-run
Typical size
5 to 30 employees
Decision authority
Total. No one to delegate to.
Channel preference
Phone first when stuck. Email for records.
Behavior signals · estimated
Tech comfort
Average
Visit frequency
Rare
PRO literacy
Low
Mobile reliance
High
Time pressure
Constant
Goals & motivations
01Stay compliant without spending more than ten minutes on it.
02Understand what they actually owe and when, with no surprises.
03Keep documentation in case the accountant asks for it later.
04Avoid feeling foolish or being upsold.
Pain points & anxieties
!Receiving a bill or notice and wondering if it is legitimate or correctly calculated.
!Worrying about catalog coverage. If a license restricts what music can be played, who polices the DJ or the guest playlist?
!Forms and language that assume a different scale of business.
!Terminology that does not match how the rep described things on the phone.
!Being asked questions whose answers feel obvious to BMI but not to them.
Behaviors & patterns
ValidatedReads the dashboard for status visibility. Account state (current vs past due vs expired) needs to be unmissable.
ValidatedWants self-service recovery. If something says "expired," the next click should make the account current.
ValidatedWorries about catalog coverage when the venue plays varied music. Doesn't want to police what guests or DJs play.
InferredNotices and appreciates straightforward, simple UI. Avoids portals that feel cluttered or overengineered.
InferredWants explicit pricing breakdowns. Pricing transparency is a recurring theme across other personas.
AssumptionMore likely to call than email when confused, especially the first time something goes wrong.
AssumptionForgets the BMI portal exists between visits and re-orients from scratch each time.
In their own words

It's very straightforward. Simple. It's easy.

Carl Meier · Co-founder, Black Abbey Brewing · Dec 2025

If I hadn't have paid, this might say past due. Which is good. I think that's helpful.

Carl Meier · Dec 2025

If it says expired, there might be something that says, you know, click here to make your account current.

Carl Meier · Dec 2025

It would hamstring me from playing music from an artist that is not covered under the BMI umbrella, and if I want to come in and spin records or have someone else spin records, I'd have to police what they were playing.

Carl Meier · Dec 2025
Design implications
→Account state must be unmissable on the dashboard. Current, past due, expired, suspended.
→Every non-current state needs a one-click recovery path. "Make this account current" is the action language.
→Be explicit about catalog coverage. If a license has scope limits, surface them in plain language with practical examples.
→Pricing breakdowns are not optional. If a number appears, the math behind it must be one click away.
→Match product copy to the words BMI reps use in conversation.
→Trust signals belong on every cold-touch screen. Real branding, real contact info.
Open questions for Casey
?How does Casey first learn that they need a BMI license? Letter, rep visit, web search, or competitor mention?
?What is the moment they decide it is real and they should pay, vs the moment they decide to ignore it?
?How does mobile vs desktop use actually split for an EDE owner across the renewal flow?
?How does Casey think about the multi-PRO landscape? Carl raised concerns about coverage that suggest meaningful awareness here.
?What are the most common reasons Casey calls a rep instead of self-serving?
M
The Multi-Unit Operator

Marcus

Runs operations or licensing across a small portfolio. Could be a GM at a regional restaurant group, an Ops Director at a hospitality company, or a franchise owner with three to thirty units. Thinks in spreadsheets and reports up to a CFO.

External signal

Grounded in a moderated session with Jami (Director of People, Puckett's, Dec 9 2025). Strongest persona base in the current research.

Business shape
3 to 30 locations, often a mix of formats
Typical title
GM, Ops Director, Director of People, VP Ops
Decision authority
Owns licensing decisions. Justifies costs upward.
Channel preference
Email and portal. Phone only when escalating.
Behavior signals · estimated
Tech comfort
High
Visit frequency
Frequent
PRO literacy
Moderate
Mobile reliance
Average
Internal accountability
High
Goals & motivations
01See all locations, all licenses, and all dues in one place. Centralization is the headline ask.
02Distinguish cleanly between adding a new location and modifying an existing license.
03Defend each location's spend when leadership asks, especially in tough business years.
04Reduce time spent coordinating across reps for different locations.
Pain points & anxieties
!Renewals are the most time-consuming part of the workflow. Coordination is harder than the work itself.
!Pricing without breakdowns. Marcus needs the line items to defend the spend.
!Managing multiple logins across locations creates ongoing friction.
!Adding a new location is conflated with modifying a license. Two distinct flows.
!Industry complexity around multiple PROs adds to the coordination load.
Behaviors & patterns
ValidatedWants pricing transparency to defend internally during budget conversations.
ValidatedPrefers passwordless login when juggling multiple accounts. Hates password rotation across locations.
ValidatedTreats centralization as foundational. Multiple logins are a present-day pain to be solved.
ValidatedRenewals are the dominant ongoing workload, not new license setup.
InferredHesitates when scope is ambiguous. Per-location vs all-locations is a recurring source of friction.
InferredTrusts modern, professional UI. Polish signals BMI is taking the relationship seriously.
In their own words

Renewals are probably the most time-consuming part.

Jami · Director of People, Puckett's · Dec 9 2025

It's really important to understand how the price is broken down.

Jami · Dec 9 2025

Managing multiple logins right now is confusing.

Jami · Dec 9 2025

It was easy to understand and not overwhelming.

Jami · Dec 9 2025
Design implications
→Centralized account model is foundational. One login, all locations, role-based access.
→Surface a renewal-aware dashboard. Make the next required action obvious.
→Pricing breakdowns must be available inline, not buried in a help article.
→Separate "Add new location" and "Modify existing license" as distinct entry points.
→Every onboarding screen should answer the scope question first. One location, or all?
Open questions for Marcus
?How does Marcus inherit the BMI relationship when joining a new company?
?How often does Marcus delegate the actual portal work to a Renee, and at what location count?
?What is Marcus's tolerance for new feature complexity vs his preference for stability?
?How much of the renewal coordination pain is portal-solvable vs structural to the business?
R
The Finance Delegate

Renee

Handles bookkeeping or accounting for one or more BMI-licensed businesses. Added to the account by someone else. In the portal more often than anyone, but not the decision-maker. Cares about clean documentation and predictable workflows.

External signal

Grounded in a moderated session with Debi (finance role, Dec 4 2025). Tied for strongest persona base alongside Marcus.

Business shape
Internal accounting team, fractional CFO, or external bookkeeper
Typical title
Bookkeeper, Controller, Accountant, AP Specialist
Decision authority
Limited to financial actions. Doesn't own business decisions.
Channel preference
Portal and email. Avoids phone unless required.
Behavior signals · estimated
Tech comfort
High
Visit frequency
High
PRO literacy
Limited
Audit sensitivity
Critical
Authority to sign
None
Goals & motivations
01Get receipts and invoices into accounting systems with zero friction.
02Build a clean audit trail for every payment and submission.
03Stay inside her lane. Avoid being asked operational questions she can't answer.
04Process accounts efficiently across multiple clients in a single session.
Pain points & anxieties
!Many onboarding questions aren't owned by accounting. Renee can't answer them.
!No obvious way to download a receipt or invoice immediately after payment.
!Autopay opt-out and opt-in is unclear, which creates risk for client funds.
!Adding users to multiple accounts is inefficient when serving several clients.
!Authorization ambiguity around T&Cs creates legal risk for her firm.
Behaviors & patterns
ValidatedTreats downloadable receipts and invoices as table stakes. Their absence is a blocker.
ValidatedWon't legally accept terms on behalf of a business she doesn't own.
ValidatedPrefers passwordless login because passwords break when team members leave.
ValidatedScans dashboards for verification, not exploration. Dates and invoices need to be unmissable.
InferredWants role-based access she can administer for her clients, not just be granted.
InferredOnboards her own clients to BMI on their behalf, needs flows that respect that delegation.
In their own words

That's not something accounting always knows.

Debi · Dec 4 2025

Passwords break the moment someone leaves the company.

Debi · Dec 4 2025

I need something I can file and audit later.

Debi · Dec 4 2025

I shouldn't be the one legally accepting this.

Debi · Dec 4 2025
Design implications
→Onboarding must support delegation. Renee fills financial fields, routes operational ones to the owner.
→Receipts and invoices must be downloadable immediately and discoverable in account history.
→T&Cs require explicit signer confirmation. Renee should be able to flag and pass on.
→Bulk user management for accountants serving multiple clients.
→Predictable, accounting-friendly visual hierarchy. Dates, amounts, documents take priority.
Open questions for Renee
?What percentage of EDE accounts have a Renee involved, vs being managed by Casey or Marcus?
?Does Renee typically have her own BMI login, or share credentials with the business owner?
?What does the handoff between Renee and a business owner look like for cross-role tasks?
J
The Music-Forward Operator

Jordan

Runs a venue where music is the product, not the background. Live music bar, club, music-centric restaurant, performance venue. Higher PRO literacy, more complex reporting, expectations set by the consumer apps they use every day.

Mostly Assumption

No external music-forward venue research exists yet. Some signal from an internal session, treated as inference. Phase 1 should recruit from this segment specifically.

Business shape
1 to a few locations, music-centric programming
Typical title
Owner, GM, Music Director, Talent Buyer
Decision authority
Owns licensing and reporting decisions for the venue.
Channel preference
Mobile. Portal as primary. Phone for escalation.
Behavior signals · estimated
Tech comfort
High
Visit frequency
Frequent
PRO literacy
High
Mobile reliance
Primary
Visual standards
Consumer-grade
Goals & motivations
01Stay compliant across multiple PROs without spending hours coordinating.
02Have the system recognize recurring events instead of re-entering them weekly.
03Get receipts and proof of payment instantly, for accounting and show records.
04Use the portal on mobile, often between shifts or at the venue.
Pain points & anxieties
!Manual reporting feels inefficient when shows are recurring.
!Limited payment method support relative to consumer-app expectations.
!Receipts not immediate enough for same-day accounting.
!Stale visual design reads as a signal that BMI is not investing.
!Unclear how to handle closed locations or recurring event adjustments.
Behaviors & patterns
InferredBenchmarks the portal against modern consumer apps, not legacy enterprise software.
InferredExpects mobile and biometric login. OTP-only is a partial solution.
AssumptionWants the system to learn recurring patterns. Weekly programming should not require manual entry.
AssumptionVisual quality is read as a signal of system reliability and BMI's investment.
AssumptionHigher-than-average awareness of the multi-PRO landscape. Compares BMI's experience to others.
AssumptionMay use third-party services (Rockbot, etc.) and need clarity on overlap.
In their own words
↗ Research gap

No direct external quotes from this persona yet.

An internal session surfaced themes related to mobile expectations and modern UI patterns. Those signals informed the inferences above but are not treated as licensee voice. Phase 1 should include 3 to 4 interviews recruited from active music-forward venues.

Design implications
→Mobile is the primary surface. Biometric login expected on mobile devices.
→Recurring events need first-class support. Pattern recognition reduces reporting overhead.
→Payment method coverage matters. Apple Pay, Amex, mobile autofill.
→Visual quality is a trust signal in this segment.
→Provide clear lifecycle paths for closing or suspending locations.
Open questions for Jordan
?What is the actual PRO awareness curve across music-forward venues?
?How often does Jordan use third-party services that may already cover some licensing, and how clearly do they understand the overlap?
?What is the ratio of live performance reporting to background music reporting?
?How much of the music-forward operator's portal time happens on mobile vs desktop?
02 / Modes

Cross-cutting modes.

Personas describe who someone is. Modes describe the emotional and informational state they show up in. The same persona behaves very differently in these two modes, and the portal needs to recognize which one they're in.

+ Overlay on any persona

First-Time mode

The state of any persona who has never engaged with BMI before. Cold, suspicious, legitimacy-anxious. Trying to figure out whether the letter, email, or rep call is real, and whether they actually need to pay anything.

What changes
  • Trust is the gating factor for every action. Every screen is being evaluated for legitimacy.
  • Mental model of PROs is often wrong or absent.
  • Likely to call before paying, even if the portal is well-designed.
  • Higher tolerance for explanation. Lower tolerance for jargon.
Design implications
  • Trust signals must be present and obvious. Real BMI branding, real contact info, security cues.
  • Educate without lecturing. Why BMI exists, what other PROs the licensee may also need.
  • Make the human channel visible. Calling shouldn't feel like a fallback.
  • Plain-language onboarding. The legal posture comes later.
Confidence: Assumption None of the December 2025 sessions captured a first-time licensee. This mode is constructed from inference and stakeholder knowledge. It is the highest-priority research gap.
+ Overlay on any persona

Lapsed mode

The state of any persona who has fallen behind on payments or reporting and is being contacted to recover. Defensive, embarrassed, sometimes angry. Often overlapping with a business that is itself struggling.

What changes
  • Emotional state is negative before they reach the portal. The portal inherits that emotion.
  • Phone is the dominant channel. The portal supports the conversation, not replaces it.
  • Trust in BMI may be damaged from the experience that led to the lapse.
  • Receptive to clear paths to resolution. Hostile to anything that feels like extra fees.
Design implications
  • Recovery flows need their own design language. Calm, clear, low-friction.
  • Surface what's owed and the path to resolution above everything else.
  • Make payment plans, partial payment, and human escalation discoverable.
  • Tone matters. Avoid shaming language, even by implication.
Confidence: Assumption No lapsed-state research exists in the current data. The Licensing rep team holds rich qualitative knowledge of this mode and is the fastest path to validating it.