Direct Deposit and Royalty Thresholds

Performance Periods and Payment

For purposes of processing and paying out on performances, ASCAP divides the year into three-month periods, or performance quarters. ASCAP pays its members for U.S. performances approximately six to seven months after the end of each three-month performance quarter.

Direct Deposit and Royalty Thresholds
If you choose to receive your royalties via Direct Deposit, ASCAP will distribute a royalty of $1 or more into your bank account on the day it's ready. You do have the option of receiving physical checks instead of opting for direct deposit. However, keep in mind that bank fees and the costs of check processing and manual handling make it uneconomical to issue checks for less than $100. If you choose to receive physical checks and earn under the $100 threshold in a given distribution, ASCAP will apply the amount you earned to a future distribution, and will issue a check once at least $100 in royalties have accumulated. At the end of a calendar year, if the cumulative $100 threshold has not been reached, outstanding amounts will be rolled over into the following year.

Setting up Direct Deposit is simple. Sign up online from your Member Access account at members.ascap.com. You can also view your statements in PDF format, or download your royalty data as an electronic file and import it into the application of your choice.

Methods of Payment
There are two methods of payments available to ASCAP writers: the "current performance" plan and the "averaged performance" plan. Most writers and all publishers are paid on the 100% current performance plan, which means they receive 100% of their royalties in the distribution for all performances in a specific performance quarter. All new writers are automatically paid on a current performance basis. The averaged performance plan averages the dollar value of a writer's performances over an extended period of years. The royalty calculations described on ascap.com refers to the 100% current performance plan, which applies to most writers and all publishers.

For more information on the averaged performance plan, please call Member Services at 1-800-95-ASCAP or log in to your Member Access account and submit a Member Services inquiry.

Next Page: Collecting International Royalties >>>