ASCAP boycott

The ASCAP boycott was a boycott of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) by radio broadcasters, due to license fees.

Between 1931 and 1939, ASCAP increased royalty rates charged to broadcasters some 448%.

In 1940, when ASCAP tried to double its license fees, radio broadcasters prepared to resist their demands by enforcing a boycott of ASCAP, and inaugurating a competing royalty agency, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI).

During a ten-month period lasting from January 1 to October 29, 1941, no music licensed by ASCAP (1,250,000 songs) was broadcast on NBC nor CBS radio stations. Instead, the stations played songs in the public domain, regional music and styles (like rhythm and blues or country) that had been traditionally disdained by ASCAP. And it resulted in a lot of classical compositions being recorded by the big bands.

When the differences between ASCAP and the broadcasters were resolved, ASCAP agreed to settle for a lower fee than they had initially demanded.

"Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair", an 1854 song, was a notorious beneficiary of the ASCAP boycott. According to Time Magazine, "So often had BMI's Jeannie [sic] With the Light Brown Hair been played that she was widely reported to have turned grey." Another beneficiary was Glenn Miller's the Song of the Volga Boatmen.

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