ASCAP, also known as The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers is an organization that provides services for music creators and music users. This is done through ASCAP music licensing, and handles artist royalties for public performances. Read on to find out more about how ASCAP works!
What Is ASCAP?
ASCAP is a professional organization (or PRO) of 790,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers, owned and run by its members. It is the world leader in performance royalties, advocacy and service for music creators. They license over 11.5 million songs and scores to the businesses that play them publicly. Then, they send the money to their members as royalties.
ASCAP offer services and registration for artists in order to receive performance royalties from their music. They also offer licensing for business, creators and so on who want to use the music. Whether you are using music in live form, as a broadcast or via CD’s or videos, your ASCAP license covers your performances. With one license fee, ASCAP saves you the time, expense, and burden of contacting thousands of copyright owners and obtaining rights to use music.
Let’s take a look at some of their license types!
ASCAP Music Licensing
ASCAP offers various licenses for different uses. They are:
- Websites & Mobile Apps
- Restaurants, Bars & Nightclubs
- Fitness Facilities
- Radio
- Television
- Dance Studio
- Church / Ministry
- All other businesses
There are specific limitations, varying prices and restrictions for each license. For example, the below image shows what you can expect to pay for a Website and Mobile App license. As you can see, it is dependent on revenue.
The ASCAP Music License for Websites and Mobile Apps 2020 Rate Schedule
For more information, you can check out ASCAP’s different licenses and read up on the different requirements here.
Do I Need An ASCAP License?
You may be unsure whether you need to look into ASCAP music licensing, so allow us to break it down for you.
ASCAP licenses the public performances of its members’ musical works. ‘Public performances’ simply means performances that occur in a public place, or in mediums such as TV, radio, the internet and so on. ASCAP’s licensees include airlines, colleges and universities, music venues, hotels, retail stores and tons more. If you are planning to play music in any public forum or space, you will need to look into licensing.
ASCAP does not license the right to record music on a CD, tape, or as part of motion pictures, videos or TV programs. These rights are known as mechanical and synchronization (“synch”) rights, and are licensed by writers or publishers. If you are outside the US, you should register with your local performing rights organization. These are APRA AMCOS for Australia and PPL or PRS for the UK.
For more information on ASCAP licenses, check out these FAQ’s.
What Songs Can I License?
ASCAP give you access to millions of songs, and you can start by searching here to see if a song is on the database.
How To Register Your Music With ASCAP
As an artist, your first step is registering with ASCAP to ensure that you are receiving royalties when your music is used. Once ASCAP identifies that your work has been performed, they will determine which writer and publisher members to pay, and the percentage of royalties. You let them know the writer, publisher and royalty percentage through their Work Registration system, available in your ASCAP Member Access account.
Final Thoughts
ASCAP is an extremely important entity for artists and businesses alike. Music forms such a large part of daily life, whether that is at the grocery store, at a music venue or in a hotel. All of these performances of music need to be tracked in order for artists to receive the royalties they are owed. If you are an artist in the US, make sure to register with ASCAP now!
Audiosocket As An Alternative
If you are looking for music to license, a great alternative to ASCAP is Audiosocket. Starting at $10 a month, you can have unlimited access to over 80,000 tracks. These can be used for podcasts, TV, online content, wedding videography and more! With various genres and moods, it couldn’t be easier to find the perfect tracks. Get started now!
