All persons who derive professional benefit from attending a CMS conference (1) must hold current membership in CMS and (2) are required to register. This includes anyone whose name appears in the program: all accompanists, composers, panelists, and presenters. Co-authors of research papers must register for and attend the conference in order for their name to be listed in the program. Presenters who participate virtually (e.g. via Skype) are also required to register for the conference unless they are exempted as described below.

Two common exceptions: neither (1) invited guest presenters (e.g., plenary speakers, workshop leaders, and panelists who are non-music professionals) nor (2) performers on concerts of works by CMS composers are required to be members or pay registration fees. If, however, these persons plan to attend sessions in addition to the one in which they are presenting or performing, they will be asked to pay the registration fee accordingly.