ASCAP OnStage Launches To Deliver Live Performance Royalties To All Musicians

ASCAP now provides a solution for songwriters to receive royalties when their works are performed live in the U.S. ASCAP OnStage allows member to submit their setlists and be compensated fairly for performances at all size venues. Cover songs are also reported and payments are made via normal ASCAP distribution.

Zoe Keating's post describing her attempts to make sense of the performance royalty system awakened many new artists to the oddities of live performance fees in the U.S. She found herself in the position of paying ASCAP license fees for performing her own work yet not being compensated directly for those fees.

Though ASCAP Plus was designed to partially address this issue, ASCAP OnStage now provides a much needed reporting solution to ASCAP members.

According to an ASCAP announcement:

"With ASCAP OnStage, writer members can notify ASCAP of live performances of their work via Member Access at ASCAP.com and, beginning in November, ASCAP Mobile. Members simply provide the basic details of the live performance and a list of the performed songs. A royalty, based upon venue license fees, is then distributed to the writers and publishers of the songs as part of their quarterly ASCAP distribution."

In addition, the "platform provides members with a list of all ASCAP OnStage performances of their registered works, even those submitted by other ASCAP members."

ASCAP OnStage: FAQ

More: Zoe Keating Tries To Make Sense Of The Performance Royalty System

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (Twitter/App.net) blogs about music crowdfunding at Crowdfunding For Musicians (@CrowdfundingM). To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.