Matthews takes over at ASCAP

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ASCAPThere’s a new CEO at the helm of the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers – taking the wheel is Elizabeth Matthews, who moves up from the Executive Vice President and General Counsel slot.


Matthews has served in her prior capacity since 2013.

She replaced the retired John LoFrumento, who held the CEO post for 17 years before retiring at the end of 2014.

“ASCAP is an expansive, forward-looking and adaptive service organization that successfully built and grew the market for performance rights for songwriters and publishers in the United States,” said Matthews. “As CEO, I am excited about building on our unique assets to offer new, innovative services to our members and licensing partners. As new media platforms transform how we listen to music, it is critical that we evolve our own business models and update outdated music licensing laws to better reflect the reality of today’s music marketplace. I am honored to work on behalf of the world’s greatest music creators who call ASCAP home.”

“Now, more than ever, songwriters and composers need an advocate we can trust to ensure our work is valued fairly in a rapidly changing music marketplace,” said ASCAP President and Chairman Paul Williams, an award-winning songwriter. “What we do is vital to the future of music. Beth’s experience in the global multimedia content sector, her deep understanding of the complexities of the music business and her passion for protecting the rights of music creators make her singularly qualified for the CEO role. Her enthusiasm for taking on the new challenges of the digital era is unparalleled.”

“Since joining ASCAP’s executive team, Beth Matthews has been a tireless advocate for our members and a catalyst for the entire organization,” said John LoFrumento, who has served as ASCAP’s CEO since 1997. “Working alongside Beth these past two years, there is no doubt in my mind that she has both the know-how and vision to lead ASCAP in a dynamic music landscape.”

Before joining ASCAP, Matthews was Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at Viacom Media Networks (formerly MTV Networks).