American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers facts for kids
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Trade name
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ASCAP (1914–present) |
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| Not-for-profit | |
| Founded | February 13, 1914 |
| Founders | Irving Berlin Victor Herbert Louis Hirsch John Raymond Hubbell Silvio Hein Gustave Kerker Glen MacDonough George Maxwell Jay Witmark Nathan Burkan Jean Schwartz |
| Headquarters | New York, New York, U.S. |
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Key people
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Paul Williams (president) Elizabeth Matthews (CEO) |
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is a special group in America. It helps musicians, songwriters, and music publishers get paid when their music is played in public. Think of it as a helper for artists.
ASCAP collects money from places that play music. This includes radio stations, TV shows, and online streaming services. Then, ASCAP gives this money back to its members as "royalties." This system makes it easier for everyone. A radio station doesn't have to pay each artist directly. And artists don't have to send bills to every place that plays their songs.
In 2022, ASCAP had over 900,000 members. They collected more than $1.5 billion to give to these music creators.
Contents
History of ASCAP
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ASCAP was started on February 13, 1914. Famous composers like Victor Herbert and Irving Berlin helped create it. Their goal was to protect the music of their members. Most early members were writers and publishers from a famous music area called Tin Pan Alley in New York City.
Some early members were very well-known, like George M. Cohan and John Philip Sousa. At first, you had to be able to read and write music to join. This rule later changed.
In 1919, ASCAP made a deal with a similar group in Great Britain. This meant that music from ASCAP members could be played in the UK, and UK music could be played in the US. Today, ASCAP has deals with groups all over the world.
The Rise of Radio
When radio became popular in the 1920s, it brought new ways for ASCAP members to earn money. Radio stations started playing recorded music. ASCAP began collecting fees from these broadcasters. This helped musicians get paid for their songs being heard by many people.
In 2010, ASCAP was honored by being added to the American Classical Music Hall of Fame.
Radio Stations Boycott ASCAP
In 1940, ASCAP wanted to charge radio stations more money. The radio stations didn't agree. So, they decided to stop playing music licensed by ASCAP. They even started their own group called Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI).
For about ten months in 1941, radio stations like NBC and CBS did not play any ASCAP music. Instead, they played other types of music. This included music styles like rhythm and blues or country, which ASCAP had not focused on much. Eventually, ASCAP and the broadcasters reached an agreement. ASCAP agreed to lower fees.
Fair Rules for Music
In the 1930s, some people thought ASCAP had too much control over music. The U.S. government sued ASCAP in 1941. They settled the case with a special agreement called a "consent decree." This agreement made sure ASCAP would set fair prices for music licenses. It also meant that anyone who couldn't agree on terms with ASCAP could go to court to get a fair price.
More Members Join
ASCAP's members grew to include many different types of musicians. In the 1940s, jazz and swing artists like Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman joined. Movie music composers like Harold Arlen also became members. Even classical music composers such as Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein joined ASCAP.
In the 1950s and 1960s, television became popular. This brought another way for ASCAP members to earn money. With the growth of FM radio, new artists like John Denver, Jimi Hendrix, and Janis Joplin joined ASCAP. Many famous Motown songs were written by ASCAP members like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder. Even The Beatles and The Rolling Stones licensed their music through ASCAP.
The folk music revival in the early 1960s, led by Bob Dylan, also brought more members to ASCAP. Later, ASCAP started to attract more country music artists.
By 1970, ASCAP worked hard to get more songwriters and publishers to join. This led to Motown Records switching most of its music to ASCAP in 1971.
In the late 20th century, ASCAP's members grew to include all kinds of new music. This included funk, punk rock, heavy metal, hip-hop, and grunge. Artists like Lauryn Hill, Dr. Dre, and the Ramones joined. ASCAP also created a special department for Latin music creators. This helped artists like Marc Anthony reach Spanish-speaking audiences.
Today, ASCAP licenses music to thousands of radio stations and many other places. This includes bars, restaurants, and theme parks. They also work with nearly 40 other music groups around the world. ASCAP was one of the first groups to pay artists for music played on the internet. They continue to get licenses for websites and digital music services.
ASCAP Awards
ASCAP celebrates its best members with annual awards shows. These shows cover different music styles. This includes pop, rhythm and soul, film and TV, Latin, country, Christian, and classical music.
ASCAP also gives special awards like the ASCAP Vanguard Award. They also name a Songwriter of the Year and a Publisher of the Year.
In 1979, ASCAP started an award for young classical music composers. After the death of ASCAP President Morton Gould in 1996, the award was named the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. This honored his support for young artists.
Since 1986, ASCAP has given an award for great achievements in film and television music. In 1996, this award was renamed the Henry Mancini Award. It honors the famous composer Henry Mancini.
ASCAP also gives out the Deems Taylor Awards. These awards honor writers and music journalists. They are named after Deems Taylor, who was the first president of ASCAP. The awards recognize excellent books, articles, and websites about music.
See also
- BMI
- Copyright collective
- United States v. ASCAP
- PRS for Music, a British music copyright collective
