Elizabeth Matthews, who has been executive VP and general counsel of the music licensing organization since 2013, succeeds John LoFrumento, who retired at the end of last year after 17 years in the post and 33 with ASCAP.
“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, chairman and veteran song writer Paul Williams. “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.”
Matthews is the former executive VP and deputy general counsel at Viacom Media Networks. "It is critical that we evolve our own business models and update outdated music licensing laws to better reflect the reality of today’s music marketplace," she said of her plans for ASCAP, which she has already been formatting in he old post.
Matthews helped develop a six-year strategic plan for the organization that she will now be in charge of implementing.
ASCAP licenses music for broadcast, cable, Internet, mobile services and more for its members and more than 10 million copyrighted works.
