Top Songwriters and Composers Urge Congress to Protect the Rights of American Music Creators During ASCAP “Stand with Songwriters” Advocacy Day on September 21

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Paul Williams, Madison Love, Cirkut, Pasek and Paul and Matthew West Join Other ASCAP Members and Leaders to Promote AI Policy Aligned with ASCAP’s “Six Principles”

WASHINGTON, DC, Sept. 20, 2023—Award-winning songwriters and composers will convene on Capitol Hill tomorrow, September 21, to meet with elected officials as part of the annual American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers’ (ASCAP) “Stand with Songwriters” Advocacy Day. They will urge Members of Congress to protect the rights of American music creators and defend the value of music in the age of artificial intelligence (AI).

“True music comes from deep within our souls; it’s human-first, heart songs, revealing and often healing our human condition,” said ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams. “Now we need Congress to put humans first, stand with songwriters and protect our rights to our own musical works. Don’t give them away to AI.”

“Artificial intelligence is moving at the speed of light and we need lawmakers to act now,” said ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews. “We fully embrace innovation but only innovation coupled with regulation that protects the rights of creators.”

In their meetings on Capitol Hill, ASCAP members will urge policymakers to adhere to the six key, creator-centric principles for AI that were unanimously adopted by the ASCAP Board of Directors earlier this year:

• Human Creators First: Prioritizing rights and compensation for human creativity
• Consent: Protecting the right to decide whether one’s work is included in an AI training license
• Compensation: Making sure creators are paid fairly when their work is used in ANY way by AI, which is best accomplished in a free market, NOT with government-mandated licensing that essentially eliminates consent
• Credit when creators’ works are used in new AI-generated music
• Transparency in identifying AI vs. human-generated works and retaining metadata
• Global Consistency: An even playing field that values intellectual property across the global music and data ecosystem.

ASCAP’s congressional meetings will follow tonight’s “We Write the Songs” concert at The Library of Congress, sponsored by The ASCAP Foundation. The event features performances by popular ASCAP members who will be introduced by Members of Congress, including influential songwriting and production duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (“No More Drama,” Mary J Blige; “What Have You Done for Me Lately,” Janet Jackson), renowned songwriter and producer Jermaine Dupri (“We Belong Together,” Mariah Carey; “Confessions Part II,” Usher), hit pop songwriter Madison Love ( “Kings & Queens,” Ava Max; “Turbulence,” P!nk), Broadway and screen songwriting duo Pasek and Paul (La La Land, Dear Evan Hansen) and contemporary Christian artist and newly announced ASCAP Golden Note Award honoree Matthew West (“The Motions,” “Hello, My Name Is”).

ASCAP songwriter and composer advocates on Capitol Hill will include Jam, Lewis, Love, Pasek and Paul, West, hit songwriter and producer Cirkut (“Seven,” Jung Kook feat Latto; “Roar,” Katy Perry), Williams and ASCAP songwriter, composer and publisher board members Bob Bruderman, Desmond Child, Marti Cuevas, Sharon Farber, Dan Foliart, Ree Guyer, James M. Kendrick, Evan Lamberg, Michelle Lewis, Alex Shapiro, Jonathan Singer and Jimmy Webb.

ASCAP has invited its songwriter, composer and music publisher members from all 50 states to join the effort, with email activations and opportunities to engage across its social media channels all week long.

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 935,000 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 on a not-for-profit basis. ASCAP licenses a repertory of over 18 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.