Songwriters Knock On Capitol Hill’s Door Urging Congress To #StandWithSongwriters

Award winning songwriters and composers from all points of the genre spectrum are gathering today in Washington, DC to meet with elected officials as part of the annual American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) “Songwriter Advocacy Day” on Capitol Hill.

ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams is in D.C. today walking the halls of Congress alongside Alan Bergman, John Bettis, Crystal Nicole, Allen Shamblin and Che "Rhymefest" Smith.  They will be joined by songwriter Kevin Kadish (“All About That Bass”), ASCAP CEO Beth Matthews and many of ASCAP’s Board members. 

ASCAP Board members meeting with legislators include songwriters Marilyn Bergman (“The Windmills of Your Mind”), and Desmond Child (“Livin’ On A Prayer”); film and TV composers Richard Bellis (“IT”) Bruce Broughton (“Silverado”), Dan Foliart (“Home Improvement,” “Roseanne”), and Doug Wood (“Saturday Night Live”); concert music composer Alex Shapiro; and publishers Barry Coburn (Ten Ten Music Group), Dean Kay (Lichelle Music and songwriter of “That’s Life”) Leeds Levy (Leeds Music) and Irwin Robinson (Cromwell Music).

The members will address the issues working musicians face in today's digital marketplace, urging policymakers to support the proposed Songwriters Equity Act. 

“The rules that govern how songwriters and composers license our music no longer work in today’s marketplace, presenting a very real threat to the foundation of the music value chain,” said ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams. “Powerful corporations that now control the music delivery pipeline have lined up in opposition to reform, essentially asking the federal government to protect their profits at the expense of every songwriter, composer and music publisher in America. We’re here today because it’s up to each of us, as music creators, to stand up, speak out and defend the value of our music.”

In association with today’s Advocacy Day, ASCAP launched a grassroots campaign and released the following video on its Advocacy page:

Supporters and the organization’s more than 530,000 members are encouraged to send a message to their member of Congress (ascap.com/writetocongress) and call attention to the need for music licensing reform, using the hashtag #StandWithSongwriters on social media channels.