American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers

The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) claims to be the world’s largest music performing rights organization with its representation of approximately 85,000 members licensing a repertoire of over 4,000,000 copyrighted works.

ASCAP issues a general license to radio stations for its entire catalog, with the fee generally based on a percentage of the station’s annual revenues. As with the other performing rights organizations, ASCAP has taken the position that its radio license agreement with traditional radio broadcasters does not cover performances on the Internet. A separate license agreement must be executed specifically authorizing performance of its catalog musical works over the Internet. ASCAP charges a license fee that differs depending on the use of its musical works on the website.