American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Law & Legal Definition

American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (“ASCAP”) is a membership association of U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music. Through agreements with affiliated international societies, ASCAP also represents music creators worldwide.

ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works. ASCAP makes giving and obtaining permission to perform music simple for both creators and users of music.