Music Career Guide

"ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. ASCAP's licensees encompass all who want to perform copyrighted music publicly. ASCAP makes giving and obtaining permission to perform music simple for both creators and users of music."

"Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed."

"SESAC, Inc. is a performing rights organization with headquarters in Nashville and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami and London....Unlike ASCAP and BMI, SESAC utilizes a selective process when affiliating songwriters and publishers, resulting in a roster of affiliates who have personal relationships with the SESAC staff."

"The Copyright Office is an office of record, a place where claims to copyright are registered and where documents relating to copyright may be recorded when the requirements of the copyright law are met....The Office also administers the mandatory deposit provisions of the copyright law and the various compulsory licensing provisions of the law, which include collecting royalties."

"The American Composers Forum is committed to supporting composers and developing new markets for their music. Through granting, commissioning, and performance programs, the Forum provides composers at all stages of their careers with valuable resources for professional and artistic development. By linking communities with composers and performers, the Forum fosters a demand for new music, enriches communities, and helps develop the next generation of composers, musicians, and music patrons."

The New Music USA Online Library is a vast and comprehensive digital database that contains over 57,000 works by more than 6,000 composers, and includes over 14,000 media samples (recordings and scores).
The Online Library was created by the American Music Center, and, after many evolutions, continues today under the guidance of New Music USA.

In 1938, a group of composers and arrangers writing music for movies, being dissatisfied with the lack of appreciation for their efforts, decided to band together and form an organization to promote their general interests....Through monthly luncheons, seminars and master classes and workshops, and "Honor our Own" events, we strive to bring the long term members into contact with students and young professionals seeking to become composers or arrangers in an unofficial mentorship program."

"Meet The Composer supports the creation of new musical work and the engagement of new work with people and communities throughout the United States. We are motivated by a core belief that interaction with a living composer and his or her music has the power to invigorate and inspire musicians and audiences alike."