A Message from the ASCAP Board of Directors Writer Members:

We join together as songwriters, composers, lyricists and rightsholders to promote and strengthen the right of music creators to control the use of our work and to share fairly in its exploitation. We stand united in seeking ways to protect our creativity in a new era in which our music is increasingly being ingested, analyzed, shared, extracted and used as the basis for derivative, machine-generated works.

We recognize that changes in the music business are inevitable, and we support and embrace those that allow us to reach new audiences and those that can be used to enhance our creativity. However, we vigorously oppose those changes and policies that transgress our rights, weaken our legal protections, divert or conceal our rightful earnings, or provide other opportunities for those who seek to unfairly benefit from the works we have created.

We urge policymakers and the general public to understand and respect the creative process, recognize the fundamental right of music creators to fully consent to and participate in the exploitation of their music, and support a strong copyright office and the laws which have served and supported music creators for more than 200 years. By upholding these principles, we can ensure a future of human creativity in music, protect the livelihood of creators, and continue to cultivate the vibrant and thriving musical culture that is known and loved throughout the world.  

Jon Batiste
Claudia Brant
Desmond Child
Sharon Farber
Dan Foliart
Michelle Lewis
Terry Lewis
Marcus Miller
Alex Shapiro
Jimmy Webb
Paul Williams
Doug Wood