ASCAP Payment System

Music in Advertisements

Product Commercials
ASCAP processes television commercial performances reported by Competitrack, a sophisticated digital monitoring system, on the basis of a census survey (i.e. complete count of performances). Commercials and TV stations not monitored by Competitrack as well as all radio commercial performances are subject to a sample survey. If your music is used in product commercials, complete the steps referenced below in the "Getting Paid for Your Music in Advertisements" section.

(Monitored Station List)

Promotional Announcements
ASCAP processes all promotional announcement performances on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, Univision, HBO and Cinemax based upon information submitted by these networks to ASCAP. Promotional announcements on other television stations and all radio stations are processed based upon a sample survey. If your music is used on a station or network not listed above, complete the steps referenced below in the "Getting Paid for Your Music in Advertisements" section.

Public Service Announcements, Short-Form Infomercials and Movie Trailers
Public service announcements, short-form infomercials (five minutes or less in duration) and movie trailers are subject to a sample survey. If your music is used for these purposes, complete the steps referenced below in the "Getting Paid for Your Music in Advertisements" section.

Performance crediting for all advertisement music is subject to the ASCAP Weighting Formula and the rules and policies pertaining to performance claims.

Getting Paid for Your Music in Advertisements

1. Register Your Music

   A work registration must be on file at ASCAP in order to match information about your work to our survey data and correctly distribute royalties. Confirm the music in question has already been registered in Member Access. If the work has not been registered, you must register the work with ASCAP first. When you register your music, you are submitting information about your original musical work, not about the advertisements in which it was used.

2. Complete the Advertisement Claim Form
   If Competitrack does not monitor the station or commercial that featured your music, you must also provide performance data in the Performance Template below. Please note ASCAP will only credit performances on a radio or television station that occur during a date and time included in the sample survey.

     Cable TV Sample Survey Dates

   
   

     Advertisement Claim Form (PDF)

   
   

     Performance Template (EXCEL)

   
   
   
3. Submit Your Claim Through Member Access
   

   When you have completed the Advertisement Claim Form, log into Member Access and submit your performance claim as a Member Service Inquiry. Select the category "Advertisement Claim" and choose the topic based upon the medium (e.g. TV, radio, etc.) in which the claimed performances took place. A separate Inquiry and Advertisement Claim Form must be submitted for each individual advertisement in each medium. An MP3 of your musical work or link to a website containing the source music must be attached to each inquiry.

*If you submit your claim after the deadline, your payment may be delayed until a future distribution. ASCAP may not distribute royalties for claims submitted more than one year after the initial broadcast (see our Governing Documents for more details).

If you have any questions, contact a Member Services Representative at 1-800-95-ASCAP (952-7227) or log a Member Service Inquiry through Member Access.

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