ASCAP Payment System

Who Does ASCAP Collect From?

Look for the ASCAP Customer sticker! This indicates that an establishment pays an ASCAP licensing fee for the music they use.

Once you've registered your works with ASCAP, they become part of the ASCAP repertory for which we collect performance royalties. We do this by negotiating with and collecting license fees from the users of music—our customers—who perform the works in our repertory.

Most customers pay ASCAP an annual blanket license fee for the right to use any music in the ASCAP repertory. Some local radio and television stations opt for a per program license, under which they only pay ASCAP for programs containing ASCAP music not otherwise licensed. Every penny we collect, less operating expenses, is distributed to our members whose works were performed.

ASCAP Customers:

• The three major television networks: ABC, CBS and NBC


• The Univision and Telefutura networks and their stations


• Over 1,300 local commercial television stations, including affiliates of the three licensed networks as well as affiliates of Fox, CW, My Network, and Ion


• The majority of 11,000 cable systems and virtually all national and regional cable program services


• Close to 11,500 local commercial radio stations


• XM/Sirius Satellite Radio


• Close to 2,500 local non-commercial radio stations, not affiliated with NPR


• The PBS Public Television network, and it’s approximate 390 local television affiliates and the National Public Radio system and it’s approximate 1,000 local radio stations


• Pandora, Spotify, YouTube, Rhapsody, Netflix, Amazon and thousands of websites


• Hundreds of background music services (such as MUZAK, airlines)


• About 2,300 colleges and universities


• About 5,700 concert presenters


• Over 1,000 symphony orchestras


• Tens of thousands of "general" licensees: bars, restaurants, hotels, ice and roller skating rinks, circuses, theme parks, veterans and fraternal organizations and more