Building on SONGVIEW Collaboration, PROs Launch New Initiative to Protect the Integrity of Information Flowing Into Their Databases

NEW YORK, May 18, 2023 –The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI), the nation’s two leading performing rights organizations, announced today the formation of a joint task force to address suspicious registrations associated with musical works across the collective management ecosystem. Together, ASCAP and BMI have more than 25 million musical works in their combined repertoires.

ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews commented: “Fraud is a complex global challenge that all collective management organizations and DSPs must confront with increasing frequency. Building on the strength of our Songview partnership and leveraging our expertise in building an interconnected data platform, ASCAP and BMI are uniquely positioned to lead this collaborative and proactive approach to enhance the integrity of data in the music industry and to protect the rights and royalties of music creators." 

BMI President and CEO Mike O’Neill added: “The integrity of our data is paramount and something we spend an enormous amount of time and effort to protect.  Given the explosion of music being uploaded to digital platforms and the speed in which that information connects to databases around the world, we felt it made sense to join forces with ASCAP to address these concerns. Bad actors don’t just limit themselves to one company, or one territory, and the more we can collaborate on this issue, the better it is for everyone involved.”

A cross-functional team of copyright, technical, distribution, legal, business, and product experts from BMI and ASCAP are participating in the new task force aimed at mitigating and preventing fraud or erroneous activities associated with but not limited to the registration of musical works that can result in financial loss or operational inefficiencies. The team will focus on maintaining data integrity within the volumes of registration requests and protocols around identity verification and validation, among other areas. In addition to raising awareness around suspicious activity and schemes, the task force will work with other partners around the globe to share best practices and information that is not deemed competitively sensitive.

About ASCAP

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. In 2022, ASCAP reported record-high financial results of $1.522 billion in revenues and $1.388 billion available in royalty distribution monies to its members. Over the last eight years, ASCAP has delivered a 6% compound annual growth rate for total revenues, and a 7% compound annual growth rate for total royalty distributions to members. Founded and governed by songwriters and composers, it is the only performing rights organization in the US that operates as a not-for-profit. 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; identifies, matches and processes trillions of performances every year; and returns nearly 90 cents of every dollar back to its members as royalties. The ASCAP 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.  Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.

About BMI

Celebrating over 80 years of service to songwriters, composers, music publishers and businesses, Broadcast Music, Inc.® (BMI®) is a global leader in music rights management, serving as an advocate for the value of music. BMI represents the public performance rights in over 20.6 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.3 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers. The Company 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. In 1939, BMI created a groundbreaking open-door policy becoming the only performing rights organization to welcome and represent the creators of blues, jazz, country, and American roots music. Today, the musical compositions in BMI’s repertoire, from chart toppers to perennial favorites, span all genres of music and are consistently among the most-performed hits of the year. For additional information and the latest BMI news, visit bmi.com, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BMI or stay connected through Broadcast Music, Inc.‘s Facebook page. Sign up for BMI’s The Weekly™ and receive our e-newsletter every week to stay up to date on all things music.

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CONTACTS:

Cathy Nevins | ASCAP

cnevins (at) ascap.com

Jodie Thomas | BMI

jthomas@bmi.com