The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) today announced its 2025 financial results, marking another year of growth in both revenue and royalty distributions for its songwriter, composer and music publisher members.
According to ASCAP's annual financial report, the organization generated $1.945 billion in total revenue for the 2025 calendar year, an increase of approximately 6 % over 2024 figures. From that total, ASCAP made $1.759 billion available for royalty distributions, returning a record amount of royalty payments to the creators whose works are publicly performed around the world.
Key Financial Highlights
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Total Revenue: $1.945 billion, reflecting continued growth in licensing and performance income from domestic and international sources.
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Royalty Distributions: $1.759 billion in available royalties, representing one of the highest annual distributions in ASCAP's history.
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Year-Over-Year Growth: Both revenue and distributions increased compared with 2024, underscoring the expanding value of performance royalties for music creators.
ASCAP's membership - composed of songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers - benefits from the organization's not-for-profit model, which channels the largest possible share of revenue back to rights holders rather than to investors or outside shareholders.
Importance for Music Creators
"Today's results reaffirm ASCAP's role as a champion for music creators," said ASCAP leadership in a statement. "By returning significant royalties and supporting creators across all genres, we are helping songwriters and publishers sustain their careers while fostering continued creativity and innovation in music."
ASCAP's payouts are tied to performances of works across broadcast, streaming, live venues, and other public platforms, ensuring that creators are compensated when their music is heard.
Continued Industry Leadership
ASCAP's 2025 results build on a trend of strong financial performance over recent years. The organization reported record revenue and distributions in 2024 and prior years, demonstrating resilient growth even as the global music market evolves.
As one of the primary public performance rights organizations (PROs) in the U.S., ASCAP's annual revenue and royalty figures are closely watched metrics within the music industry, representing a barometer for the health of performance licensing and creator compensation.
About ASCAP
Founded in 1914, ASCAP is a membership association of more than 900,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers that licenses public performances of its members' works and distributes royalties when those works are played. The organization operates on a not-for-profit basis, with governance and royalty distribution rules set by members
