It was on this date in 1914 that ASCAP – the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers – was organized in New York City. The not-for-profit performance rights organization was set up to protect its members’ musical copyrights through monitoring public performance (and later broadcast) of their works. ASCAP collects licensing fees on behalf of its members and then distributes them in the form of royalties.

None other than Victor Herbert spearheaded the organization’s founding, to the benefit of a great many Tin Pan Alley composers and publishers. Early members included Irving Berlin, Rudolf Friml, Jerome Kern and John Philip Sousa.

Michael Kownacky will be sampling works by some of the ASCAP founders on his program “A Little Night Music,” which can be heard locally on WWFM 89.1 FM, tonight at 10 ET, with a repeat next Saturday at 12 a.m. Of course, you can also listen to it later as a webcast at wwfm.org.

PHOTO: Victor Herbert (front left), standing next to John Philip Sousa and Irving Berlin