Legal Definitions - American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers

The **American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)** is a prominent organization in the United States that represents music creators and publishers. Its primary role is to protect the copyright interests of its members by licensing and collecting royalties for the public performance of their non-dramatic musical works. In simpler terms, ASCAP acts as an intermediary, granting permission (licenses) to businesses and venues that want to play copyrighted music publicly, and then distributing the collected fees as royalties to the songwriters, composers, and publishers whose music was used.

Here are some examples illustrating how ASCAP operates:

• Example 1: A Restaurant Playing Background Music

  Imagine a popular bistro that plays a curated playlist of contemporary pop and jazz music throughout the day to enhance its ambiance. To legally play these copyrighted songs for its customers, the bistro must obtain a public performance license. ASCAP is one of the organizations that provides such licenses. The fees collected from the bistro by ASCAP are then distributed to the songwriters and publishers of the specific songs played, ensuring they are compensated for the public use of their creative work.

• Example 2: A Local Radio Station Broadcast

  Consider a local radio station that broadcasts a variety of music genres, from classic rock to new indie releases, to its listeners. Each time a copyrighted song is played over the airwaves, it constitutes a public performance. The radio station pays licensing fees to ASCAP (and other similar organizations) to cover the rights for the vast catalog of music they broadcast. ASCAP then tracks which of its members' songs are played and distributes the appropriate royalties to those artists, composers, and publishers.

• Example 3: A Live Music Venue Hosting a Cover Band

  Suppose a small concert hall hosts a "tribute night" where a band performs cover versions of famous songs by a well-known artist. Even though the band performing is not the original creator, the *venue* where these copyrighted songs are publicly performed must hold a license. This license, often obtained from ASCAP, ensures that the original songwriters and publishers of the famous songs receive royalties for their work being performed live in a public setting, even if it's by another artist.