ASCAP Releases A Statement on the Music Modernization Act Senate Judiciary Committee Passage

The Senate Judiciary Committee today unanimously approved the Music Modernization Act, a comprehensive bill that aims to update the outdated music licensing system and give songwriters a better opportunity to seek fair value for their work in the digital age. The Senate Judiciary Committee vote follows the unanimous 415-0 vote by the House of Representatives of similar legislation and paves a path forward to a full Senate vote.

Below is a statement from ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews on today's passage:

"ASCAP thanks Chairman Grassley for bringing the Music Modernization Act to markup and to Senators Hatch, Alexander and Whitehouse for being such stalwart champions of songwriters. We are happy to see this legislation move forward with such broad bipartisan support. While there is still more work to be done to create a fair environment for songwriters in the digital age, we hope the Senate will move swiftly to pass a version of this bill that preserves the much-needed benefits for music creators."

About ASCAP

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) is a professional membership organization of songwriters, composers and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP's mission is to license and promote the music of its members and foreign affiliates, obtain fair compensation for the public performance of their works and to distribute the royalties that it collects based upon those performances. ASCAP members write the world's best-loved music and ASCAP has pioneered the efficient licensing of that music to hundreds of thousands of enterprises who use it to add value to their business - from bars, restaurants and retail, to radio, TV and cable, to Internet, mobile services and more. The ASCAP license offers an efficient solution for businesses to legally perform ASCAP music while respecting the right of songwriters and composers to be paid fairly. With over 660,000 members representing more than 11.5 million copyrighted works, ASCAP is the worldwide leader in performance royalties, service and advocacy for songwriters and composers, and the only American performing rights organization (PRO) owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. Learn more and stay in touch at www.ascap.com, on Twitter @ASCAP and on Facebook.

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