Membership Services

ACA is not-for-profit organization that serves as a music publisher, promoter, archivist, custodian, and concert presenter. It has a long history and a large catalog of works by American composers from the 1920s to the present day.

 COMPOSERS must be composer-members of BMI prior to applying for membership in ACA. (Composers of ASCAP and other non-BMI performing rights societies are eligible, however, for the ACA Custodial Management Plan)

ACA currently publishes over 11,000 titles, and sells, rents, and licenses its works for CD recordings, website streaming, choral, chamber and orchestra performances, textbook and article reprints, and many other uses.

ACA will act as publisher for any or all works submitted by its composers, once membership has been established. Most importantly, the composer retains his or her copyright and can transfer works to other publishers at any time.

ACA Membership Regular Services, covered by annual dues:

(Examples of services currently available; Changes or additions may be made from time to time by the ACA Board of Governors)

1. Promotion of the composer's ACA music catalog online at www.composers.com through maintenance of a composer gallery web page with bio information and list of ACA works.
2. Direct website login for composers to edit information on their composer page. All new works listings and edits subject to ACA approval.
3. Registration of new works with BMI as they are completed and ready for performance, upon receipt of a New Work Registration form from the composer.
4. Deposit of the composer's printing masters and performance materials at the ACA collection in the University of Maryland (College Park) Performing Arts Library. This includes management and care for the scores and related materials, employing the best judgment of its staff and according to accepted professional standards.
5. Receive and respond to information requests and sales orders for selling and renting scores that have been deposited with ACA in print or PDF format.
6. Printing, binding, and shipping of scores in professional-use formats for customer requests, with ACA covers.
7.  Annual statement of ACA-licensed uses of the composer’s materials, and royalty-grants distribution sharing of income collected per ACA agreement.
8. Issue mechanical licenses to producers of recordings for ACA-published works.
9. Encourage and facilitate transfers of rights to composer's works going out of print with other publishers for the purpose of keeping these scores available.
10. Preservation of legacy - collect and file  references, biographies, and liner notes supplied by the composer/estate for the purpose of providing information for future programs, concerts, re-issue recordings, articles, and general research.

ACA Special Services available (may require additional fees):

1. Requesting/obtaining necessary permissions from authors/estates/publishers for uses of texts, poetry, or quotes used in musical works to be published by ACA. Depositing a score with ACA is publishing. The broadest possible rights must be obtained before a composer sets a text to music.
2. Production management of concert presentations or recording sessions for the composer’s ACA works.
3. Special requests for digital scanning of scores and parts for ACA’s PDF score collection; and/or scan/reformatting of oversize score masters for reprinting in current standard performance-sized formats;
4. Conversion of files into PDF from computer program files.
5. Engraving scores into Finale or similar software, or editing/repairing substandard engraver files or those that do not meet the guidelines listed in Composer’s Toolkit.
6. Transfer of LP, cassette, open reel, DAT, DVD, or other older formats to CD audio or MP3 files.
7. Transfer of CD tracks to MP3 or other compressed formats, or editing into excerpts for website presentation.
8. Excerpting sections of DVD or other video formats or uploading video for online web promotion.
9. Registration of copyright with the Library of Congress on behalf of heirs or copyright owners. Note that ACA does not take ownership of copyright for any music on deposit in its collection.
10. Fiscal sponsorship or grant proposal application assistance.

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