SESAC, Inc. is a performing rights organization with headquarters in Nashville and offices in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and London. Performing rights organizations (there are three of us in the U.S.) are businesses designed to represent songwriters and publishers and their right to be compensated for having their music performed in public. Okay, now let’s get to the most frequently asked questions.


WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

For history’s sake, we can tell you the name originally stood for Society of European Stage Authors & Composers, a fitting moniker back in 1930 when the company was founded to serve European composers not adequately represented in the United States. Today, however, the company is known simply as SESAC. With an international reach and a vast repertory that spans virtually every genre of music, SESAC is the fastest growing and most technologically adept of the nation’s performing rights companies.


WHAT DOES SESAC DO FOR SONGWRITERS?

SESAC will represent the right for your music to be played in public. Songwriters and publishers are paid royalties based upon how much their songs are played. The system required to compute compensation is based on many factors, including state-of-the-art monitoring, computer database information and broadcast logs. Unlike ASCAP and BMI, SESAC utilizes a selective process when affiliating songwriters and publishers, resulting in a roster of affiliates who have personal relationships with the SESAC staff. In short, SESAC’s creative staff provides affiliated songwriters and publishers with a level of service and attention unparalleled in the industry.


LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION 

SESAC’s corporate headquarters in the heart of Nashville’s Music Row houses all of the company’s divisions, from creative to licensing to administration. The company also has offices in New York, London, and Los Angeles.