The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (commonly known as ASCAP) was founded by composer Victor Herbert in New York City, New York, to
protect the musical copyrights of its member’s, who were mostly writers and
publishers associated with New York City’s Tin Pan Alley. ASCAP’s initial
members included the era’s most popular songwriters such as Irving 
Berlin, Jerome Kern, and John Phillip Sousa. As of July 2009, the non-
profit organization’s membership included over 360,000 songwriters,
composers and music publishers
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Victor Herbert