American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is an association of writers and publishers of music. Composer Victor Herbert helped found ASCAP in 1914. The federal copyright law states that no musical work may be performed publicly without permission of the copyright owner. ASCAP is a clearinghouse between users and creators of music. Its license permits users to perform any member’s music at any time without separate clearance. ASCAP collects license fees from music users and distributes the income to members and to associated societies. Royalties are distributed to members based on the nature of the performance and how often the music is used. ASCAP has mutual agreements with other performing rights societies in many other countries. Its headquarters are in New York City.
