Affiliate Membership allows organizations that are not directly engaged in music commerce to participate in Music Biz activities, creating a collaborative environment allowing members and partners to discuss and solve the complex problems currently facing the music industry. Each group is able to participate in Music Biz events as attendees and speakers, and in committee discussions when applicable.
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) is a membership association of more than 470,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music. Through agreements with affiliated international societies, the association also represent hundreds of thousands of music creators worldwide. ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization created and controlled by composers, songwriters, and music publishers, with a Board of Directors elected by and from their membership. They protect the rights of ASCAP members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. Their licensees encompass all who want to perform copyrighted music publicly. ASCAP makes giving and obtaining permission to perform music simple for both creators and music users. Learn more at www.ascap.com.
BMI, a global leader in rights management, is an American performing rights organization that represents more than 500,000 songwriters, composers, and music publishers in all genres of music and more than 7.5 million musical works. BMI has represented the most popular and beloved music from around the world for more than 70 years. The company provides licenses for businesses that perform music and distributes the fees it generates as royalties to the musical creators and copyright owners it represents. For more information, visit www.bmi.com.
DDEX is a consortium of leading media companies, music licensing organizations, digital service providers, and technical intermediaries focused on the creation of digital supply chain standards. To support the automated exchange of information along the digital supply chain, DDEX has standardized the format of how information is represented and the method by which the information is exchanged. For more information, visit www.ddex.net.
The Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) is a U.K. trade organization formed specifically to act as a forum for the physical and digital retail and wholesale sectors of the music, video, and video games industries. ERA works closely with supplier organizations such as the BPI, the BVA, and UKIE in areas relevant to entertainment retail. ERA also participates in a number of related bodies such as the VSC, BBFC, The Industry Trust, and the Alliance for Intellectual Property. ERA also exists to communicate and negotiate with government departments and local authorities on behalf of its members, to monitor legislation affecting its members, and to oppose any legislation that might be contrary to members’ interests. ERA’s aims are to ensure the highest standards of retail and wholesale in the industry and to encourage and provide formal and informal contact between members, the public, and the industry. See more at www.eraltd.org.
The Mechanical Licensing Collective (The MLC) is a nonprofit organization designated by the U.S. Copyright Office pursuant to the historic Music Modernization Act of 2018. Starting in January 2021, The MLC will issue and administer blanket mechanical licenses to eligible streaming and download services (digital service providers or DSPs) in the United States. The MLC will then collect the royalties due under those licenses from the DSPs and pay songwriters, composers, lyricists, and music publishers. The MLC is also building a publicly accessible musical works database, as well as a portal that creators and music publishers can use to submit and maintain their musical works data. These tools will help ensure that creators and music publishers are paid properly.
Music Reports, Inc. is the leading provider of music rights administration services in the world. The company’s proprietary systems and applications set the standard for technology in the music industry. Music Reports also maintains the largest database of music copyright information in the world, the Songdex® database. The company offers a full spectrum of music rights administration services, including copyright research, music clearance, sales data consolidation, music usage reporting, royalty accounting, and royalty payment. Music Reports clients include the world’s largest television and radio broadcasters, digital music services, background music services, major record labels, mobile carriers and aggregators, and consumer products companies. The company’s executive management team includes leading experts in music copyright law and regulation. Music Reports is a portfolio company of ABRY Partners, one of North America’s leading private equity investment firms, which is focused on media and information services. To learn more, please visit www.musicreports.com.
The Recording Academy represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the GRAMMY Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the GRAMMY Awards — music’s only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world’s leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.
The RIAA is the trade organization that supports and promotes the creative and financial vitality of the major music companies. Its members are the music labels that comprise the most vibrant record industry in the world. RIAA members create, manufacture, and/or distribute approximately 85% of all legitimate recorded music produced and sold in the United States. In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect the intellectual property and First Amendment rights of artists and music labels; conduct consumer, industry and technical research; and monitor and review state and federal laws, regulations, and policies. The RIAA also certifies Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum, and Diamond sales awards as well as Los Premios De Oro y Platino, an award celebrating Latin music sales. For more information, visit www.riaa.com.
SESAC is the nation’s most progressive and fastest growing performing rights organization with headquarters in Nashville and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Miami, and London. SESAC boasts an international reach and a vast repertory that spans virtually every genre of music including Pop, Country, Rock, Urban, Jazz, Christian, and Film/TV. SESAC represents such musical icons as Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, Rush, Mumford & Sons, MGMT, Cassandra Wilson, Lady Antebellum, and Jerry Cantrell, among many others. For more information, visit www.sesac.com.
SOCAN is Canada’s largest rights management organization, connecting more than four million creators worldwide and more than a quarter-million businesses and individuals in Canada alone. SOCAN issues licenses for the performance and reproduction of music as well as for the reproduction of visual art. SOCAN’s membership includes more than 150,000 songwriters, composers, music publishers and visual artists, and licenses more than 100,000 organizations to play music across the country. With a concerted use of progressive technology and unique data, as well as a commitment to lead the global transformation of rights’ management with wholly-owned companies Dataclef, Audiam, and MediaNet, SOCAN is dedicated to upholding the fundamental truths that music and visual arts have value and creators and publishers deserve fair compensation for their work. To learn more, visit www.socan.com.
SoundExchange develops business solutions to benefit the entire music industry. The organization collects and distributes digital performance royalties on behalf of nearly 155,000 recording artists and master rights owners accounts and administers direct agreements on behalf of rights owners and licensees. To date, SoundExchange has paid out nearly $5 billion in royalties. SXWorks, a SoundExchange subsidiary, acquired the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. (CMRRA) which represents music publishers and administers the majority of songs recorded, sold and broadcast in Canada.
