Music Licensing

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers and music publishers, and represents some of the world’s most talented music creators.

Founded and governed by songwriters, composers and publishers, it returns nearly 90 cents of every dollar collected to its members as royalties and has the lowest overhead rate of any U.S. PRO (performing rights organization. ASCAP licenses a repertory of over 20 million musical works to hundreds of thousands of businesses that use music, including streaming services, cable television, radio and satellite radio and brick-and-mortar businesses such as retail stores, hotels, clubs, restaurants and bars. ASCAP collects the licensing fees and identifies, matches, processes and pays royalties to its members for trillions of performances every year. 

The ASCAP blanket license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. ASCAP puts music creators first, advocating for their rights and the value of music on Capitol Hill, driving innovation that moves the industry forward, building community and providing the resources and support that creators need to succeed in their careers.

To learn more, visit the ASCAP Music Licensing FAQ page here.

Contact: Lauren Autry, Senior Director, GL Communications, lautry@ascap.com or 615-620-6654

For more information or questions, contact GeneralLicensing@ascap.com or 1-800-505-4052.

Food and beverage member benefits:

Up to 25% off initial license fees.

• 10% discount on initial license fees, just for being a GRA member in good standing. This discount is not recurring.

• 10% discount for full invoice payment within 30 days, 15% for two-year payment. This applies to new license fees and recurring fees.

BMI represents the public performance rights in millions of musical works created and owned by hundreds of thousands of songwriters, composers, and music publishers. BMI negotiates music license agreements and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to its affiliated writers and publishers when their songs are performed in public.