Pictured: ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews
In a move that’s shaking up the music industry, the four major U.S. performing rights organizations—ASCAP, BMI, SESAC, and GMR—have joined forces to expand Songview, the industry’s go-to platform for public performance copyright data. Launched in 2020 by ASCAP and BMI, Songview now includes information on over 38 million musical works, offering the most comprehensive view of public performance copyright ownership and administration shares from a single source.
This expansion means that for the first time, Songview will feature data from all four major PROs, providing a unified platform for music users to access detailed information on songwriters, composers, music publishers, and copyright ownership shares. The platform will begin incorporating data from GMR and SESAC, starting with the addition of all 100%-owned works represented by these organizations. Additionally, Songview will enhance the data for GMR and SESAC works that have split ownership percentages with ASCAP and/or BMI by including publisher names, addressing one of the most popular information requests from Songview users.
This collaborative effort aims to provide greater transparency in music licensing, benefiting both creators and licensees. As ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews stated, “We are thrilled to collaborate with BMI, GMR, and SESAC as we innovate to provide more transparency to licensees into musical ownership data for the combined repertories of the most performed music in the world.”
This move is a significant step towards a more transparent and efficient music licensing system, ensuring that creators receive the compensation they deserve while licensees have the predictability they need.
For those interested in exploring this expanded database, Songview is free to the public and currently accessible on the ASCAP and BMI websites. Find more information on the Songview website or check out the latest updates on the ASCAP and BMI sites.
