ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)

ASCAP: The Writer-Owned Collective

Founded in 1914, ASCAP is the oldest Performing Rights Organization (PRO) in the United States. It operates as a non-profit membership association representing more than 1 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers.

Key Metrics & Operational Policy - Membership Structure: Owned and governed by its writer and publisher members, who elect its Board of Directors. - Fees: Charging a $50 setup fee for songwriter registration, and a separate $50 setup fee for publisher registration. - Contract Terms: Standard membership terms are 1 year (highly flexible). - Distribution Timeline: Performance royalties are distributed on a staggered cycle (~6.5 months post-collection). ASCAP distributes the writer share first and the publisher share later. - Royalty Collection Loophole: ASCAP strictly pays the writer share only to registered writers. To capture the publisher's share of your performance royalties, a self-published writer must establish and pay $50 to register an ASCAP publishing entity. If they do not, the publisher's share remains uncollected.