ASCAP Citizen Seeks To Inspire Music Creators And Fans To Vote

NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) today announced the launch of the ASCAP Citizen campaign, powered by HeadCount, urging ASCAP's more than 775,000 music creator members and their fans to make sure their votes are counted on Election Day 2020.

Announcing the ASCAP Citizen launch, ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams reminded his fellow songwriters why their voice matters: "We are music creators, from all walks of life. Our music has the power to change the world. That's why we work so hard for it to be heard. Now, we need our votes to be heard. It's time to embrace our role as ASCAP Citizens."

To kick off ASCAP Citizen, @ASCAP social media channels will feature photos and videos with personal messages about voting from ASCAP members each day during the week of September 21. The initial list includes: Jermaine Dupri, Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey of The Go-Gos, John Nolan of Taking Back Sunday, Matt Berninger of The National, Brothers Osborne, Avenue Beat, Ingrid Michaelson, Joe Godino of The Menzingers, film composer Pinar Toprak, mxmtoon, Donna Missal and The Maine, among many others.  ASCAP will also amplify the "get out the vote" messages of other top members who are engaged in their own vote campaigns, including such names as Cardi B, Billie Eilish, Finneas, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Diplo, John Stamos and others partnered with HeadCount.

ASCAP Chief Executive Officer Beth Matthews explained the rationale behind the non-partisan campaign: "As the only U.S. PRO founded by songwriters and governed by its members, ASCAP has always been of, by and for music creators. Through ASCAP Citizen, we are reminding music creators and music fans alike of the extraordinary power that they all have to shape the future of our democracy during these unprecedented times. Voting is a fundamental first step, but we want to encourage our members to be engaged in continuous advocacy efforts as we all work to protect the rights of music creators and defend the value of music."

"This partnership celebrates the role of musicians and songwriters as citizens. We applaud ASCAP for its leadership in giving members all the resources they need to help turn out the vote," said Andy Bernstein, HeadCount's founder and Executive Director.

As part of ASCAP's new partnership with HeadCount, anyone can visit www.headcount.org/ascap or text VOTER ASCAP to 40649 to register to vote or verify and update their voter registration status. HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that uses the power of music to register voters and promote participation in democracy.

ASCAP is also an official partner in National Voter Registration Day (Sept. 22). To extend the momentum of that effort, ASCAP will invite all music creators and fans to share their own ASCAP Citizen messages on social media using the hashtag #ASCAPCitizen to inspire their followers to register to vote ahead of upcoming state voter registration deadlines.

The ASCAP Citizen campaign will shift its focus to getting out the vote in the weeks leading up to the November 3rd election. More information about ASCAP Citizen, including a free social media toolkit, can be found at www.ascap.com/citizen.

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 more than 775,000 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 and Instagram @ASCAP and on Facebook.

About HeadCount
HeadCount is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that promotes participation in democracy through music, culture, and digital media. Since 2004 the organization has registered over 700,000 voters and worked with a long list of musicians and partners including Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, Camila Cabello, Dave Matthews Band, JAY-Z, Beyoncé, March for Our Lives, RuPaul's DragCon, MTV, and Dead & Company. With 40,000 volunteers, street teams in most major U.S. cities, and presence at more than 1,000 events each year, HeadCount ranks as one of the most active grassroots civic participation organizations in the United States. Following COVID-19 restrictions, the organization quickly pivoted to an all-digital approach that led to innovation and online initiatives to fill the needs of the public in using their voices in democracy. For more information, visit HeadCount.org.

SOURCE ASCAP

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