ASCAP unveils new research and innovation initiative

By Emmanuel Legrand

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has launched an innovation programme “to explore how advanced technologies, new business approaches and creative collaborations can drive value for its music creator members and music users.”

  Dubbed the ASCAP Advanced Research & Innovation Initiative, the project will help “identify and develop new areas of growth and efficiency” through a series of initiatives including external participation in technology accelerators, prototyping research projects, cross-pollination with the start-up community and knowledge-sharing through a future-forward expert speaker series to inspire ASCAP members and employees.

  ASCAP's inaugural initiative is a collaboration with theNYC Media Lab(NYCML), a public/private partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporationthat connects media and technology companies with New York City’s universities, to conduct an R&D project with a faculty-led research team on ways to better serve ASCAP members by leveraging applied technologies in areas such as machine intelligence, extended reality and other emerging disciplines. ASCAP will also take part in NYCML’s Combine Startup Accelerator, which helps NYC’s university eco-system extend and commercialise new technologies.

Broadening the lens

  Commented ASCAP Chief Strategy & Digital Officer NickLehman: “To realise our future, we are broadening our lens to envision it. With the Advanced Research & Innovation Initiative, we are looking further into the technology horizon to seek out what may be possible to super-serve and support our songwriter and publisher communities for years to come. We are pursuing this program as a deliberate way to provide a funnel for the deep passion that ASCAP employees already bring to their work, in order to harness innovation that matters to our members.”

  The programme will also include a bi-monthly speaker series on innovation topics held at ASCAP offices in New York City, Los Angeles and Nashville. The initial phase will also see ASCAP host 'Music Startup Summits' with selected VC and investment firms “to explore specific applied technologies and how they might be used in ASCAP’s business in the future.”