Grassroots in Action
ASCAP counts as its members nearly 300,000 songwriter, composer and music publishers who live and work in musical communities in every state in the country. The impact of copyright legislation affects the lives and livelihoods of these music creators in significant ways. With important copyright issues emerging in both the House and Senate over the next several months, ASCAP will be actively involved in advancing its concerns as these unfold, just as the Society has always done.
One way ASCAP does this is through our grassroots efforts, which brings ASCAP members face to face with their representatives in Congress so that they can articulate the importance of copyright protection in their lives. Having an open and constructive dialogue with leaders in Washington ensures that the voice of the music creator is heard.
As music creators, the members of ASCAP are directly affected by vast technological forces that are occurring around them and the individuals and the companies who in many cases are attempting to exploit this moment in history at their expense.
ASCAP embraces new technology for the great opportunities it provides for its members. Transmitting ASCAP members' music has become easier. However, it doesn't mean that the music itself is worth less - or even worse, nothing at all! Music creators know that this very demand and passion for music has increased the value of it. ASCAP's mission, as always, is to protect our rights and to receive fair compensation for creating the music that is so loved around the world.
ASCAP believes that the key to fighting back against those who seek to devalue its work is through education, not only on the policy side in Washington, but in schools across the country, where we need to reach and teach children at an early age about the idea of creative property.
These educational programs are already having an impact. The first, "Creativity in the Classroom," is an ASCAP Foundation program designed to teach children about the importance of respecting intellectual property and its value. The second Foundation program, "Children Will Listen," which was created in honor of Stephen Sondheim, brings alive the musical theatre experience to young students nationwide.
In 2003, ASCAP began developing a program, The Donny the Downloader Experience, geared toward Junior High School students to help them understand that when you illegally download, you hurt a lot more people than you think. This year, ASCAP has partnered with iSafe, a major national program that teaches students about using the Internet responsibly, to reach over 2.2 million Junior High students with this message about music piracy.
ASCAP has created a series of animated shorts featuring the character, Donny the Downloader, that has been incorporated into iSafe's school assembly program. All of these programs have been enthusiastically embraced by educators and are having a positive effect on children across the country.
Another educational endeavor is ASCAP's "I Create Music" EXPO, now in its second year. Bringing together some of today's most successful songwriters, composers, producers and publishers with those music creators who are just starting out to gain knowledge, guidance and inspiration, the EXPO is the only national conference dedicated to music creation. A featured panel each year has presented legislators addressing current issues of importance to songwriters.
TOP
