ASCAP

Acronym for American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, this company collects royalties from businesses which use music from affiliated artists and distributes those royalties to the artists. They are the largest such company, with BMI and SESAC being others.

In 1996, the American Society of Composers (ASCAP) has informed camps (like those of the Girl Scouts of America) "nationwide that they must pay license fees to use any of the four million copyrighted songs written or published by Ascap's 68,000 members. Those who sing or play but don't pay, Ascap warns, may be violating the law." The article in The Wall Street Journal, August 1996, this is quoted from, continues: "No more 'Edelweiss' free of charge. No more 'This Land Is Your Land.' An Ascap spokesman says 'Kumbaya' isn't on its list, but 'God Bless America' is."

After public outrage, the ASCAP has refrained from asking license fees from camps, but has continued to do so WRT other non-profit organizations.