The Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) is an organization founded in 1931, to help "advance, promote, and benefit" the profession of songwriters. It was founded as the Songwriters Protective Association by
Billy Rose,
George W. Meyer and
Edgar Leslie
Edgar Leslie (December 31, 1885 – January 22, 1976) was an American songwriter.
Biography
Edgar Leslie was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1885. He studied at the Cooper Union in New York. He published his first song in 1909, starting a lo ...
. SGA issued the first standard songwriters contract in 1932 and most writers consider it the 'standard' agreement in the industry. in 1982, SGA moved its executive office from New York City to Nashville. As of February 2012, the Songwriters Guild of America, Inc., has been operating as a Tennessee corporation. Since 1973, The Songwriters Guild Foundation has been organized as a New York corporation.
In 1976, the organization, along with the
RIAA, was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the
Copyright Act of 1976. In July 1999, a similar but much smaller organization — National Academy of Songwriters based on Los Angeles — closed and recommended that its 3,000 members join the Songwriters Guild of America. NAS's impetus for closing was a concession of unnecessary redundancies of the two organizations striving for the same goal.
Rick Carnes has been the president for the last years.
The Songwriters Guild features online and offline classes in songwriting and the music business. Other features include contract review for members, in-depth song evaluations, royalty collection services and music industry resources.
History
The Songwriters Protective Association was formed in 1931 partly as a counterweight to the Music Publishers Protective Association, which was founded in 1917. It gave creative talent some institutional heft in dealings with increasingly corportized publishers, producers, record companies, and studios.
Name changes
In May 1958, the organization changed its name from Songwriters Protective Association to the American Guild of Authors and Composers (AGAC).
[''Songwriters Take New Title'', New York Times, May 24, 1958] In the 1980s, the organization changed its name to Songwriters Guild of America.
Presidents & executive directors
Presidents
* 1931–19??:
Billy Rose
* 1936–1942:
Irving Caesar
Irving Caesar (born Isidor Keiser, July 4, 1895 – December 18, 1996) was an American lyricist and theater composer who wrote lyrics for numerous song standards, including " Swanee", "Sometimes I'm Happy", " Crazy Rhythm", and " Tea for T ...
* 1942–1951:
Sigmund Romberg
Sigmund Romberg (July 29, 1887 – November 9, 1951) was a Hungarian-born American composer. He is best known for his musicals and operettas, particularly '' The Student Prince'' (1924), '' The Desert Song'' (1926) and '' The New Moon'' (1928).
E ...
* 1952–1955:
Charles Tobias
* 1955–1957: Abel Baer (1893–1976)
* 1957–1966:
Burton Lane
* 1968–1972:
Edward Eliscu
* 1973–1982:
Ervin Drake
Ervin Drake (born Ervin Maurice Druckman; April 3, 1919 – January 15, 2015) was an American songwriter whose works include such American Songbook standards as " I Believe" and "It Was a Very Good Year". He wrote in a variety of styles and his w ...
* 1982–2000:
George David Weiss
George David Weiss (April 9, 1921 – August 23, 2010) was an American songwriter and arranger, who was a president of the Songwriters Guild of America.
He is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Biography
Weiss was born in a Jewish fa ...
* 2002–current: Rick Carnes ''(née'' Charles Frederick Carnes; born 1950)
Executive directors
* Miriam Rose Stern (1912–1990)
* (19??–2005): Lewis Bachman (1934–2006)
* (2005–2008): Rundi Ann Ream (born 1962)
See also
*
National Academy of Songwriters
*
National Academy of Popular Music The National Academy of Popular Music (NAPM) is an American organization which administers the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and sponsors a series of workshops and showcases for the songwriting profession. It was formed in 1988 by Sammy Cahn and Bob Le ...
*
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
References
External links
Official websiteInformational video about Songwriters Guild of America
{{DEFAULTSORT:Songwriters Guild Of America
Organizations established in 1931
Music organizations based in the United States