ASCAP and NSAI Announce the "Songwriter's Silent Auction"; Event to Raise Money to Continue the Fight for Copyright Protection.

Entertainment Editors

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 3, 2000

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) are combining forces to stage the "Songwriter's Silent Auction" of music lyrics and memorabilia to benefit their efforts to protect copyright royalties.

"Copyright protection is at the heart of the legislative mission of ASCAP and NSAI," said Connie Bradley, Senior Vice President of ASCAP. Barton Herbison, Executive Director of NSAI added, "Copyright revenues represent hundreds of millions of dollars to Nashville's area economy and billions of dollars nationally."

ASCAP and NSAI are involved in copyright protection efforts in America, throughout the world and on the Internet. A proposed six-percent state tax on songwriter royalties in Tennessee was recently stopped by the efforts of NSAI.

Auction items will include hand-written recreations of the lyrics of some of the most notable songs ever recorded in all genres of music, as well as other music memorabilia and personal interaction with some of today's top music stars. Proceeds generated from the auction effort will go to NSAI's Legislative Fund.

"The items we will auction represent an unprecedented opportunity for music fans to own one-of-a-kind memorabilia and have intimate access to some of music's biggest stars," said Bradley and Herbison. "We are asking the entire national music community to participate."

Top recording stars are being asked to donate items such as lunch or a round of golf with a fan, a day on tour, or access to a recording session or video shoot. There will also be a variety of impossible-to-get tickets, and some items from outside the music industry.

Items that have already been donated include: A John Lennon boxed set signed by Yoko Ono; a drum head signed by the members of Lynyrd Skynyrd; an evening gown worn by Reba McEntire; the chorus to "The Gambler" written on a deck of cards by Don Schlitz, "Together Again" written on the back of a guitar by Buck Owens; and the theme song of "Cheers" written on an antique bar stool by Gary Portnoy, to name just a few.

Bids on the auction items will be accepted from May 1 through July 4, via the NSAI and ASCAP web sites (www.nashvillesongwriters.com and www.ascap.com), or by calling NSAI at 1-800-321-6008 or [phone].

Winning bids will be announced the week of July 10th.

NSAI is a not-for-profit trade association devoted to serving and protecting songwriters in all fields of music. It offers a network of 75 workshops in 34 states and four foreign countries. NSAI exists to protect the rights and the future of the profession of songwriting; to educate, elevate and celebrate the songwriter; and to act as a unifying force within the music community and the community at large.

ASCAP is the world's largest performing rights organization, with over 95,000 active composers, authors and publishers in the United States, representing music of every variety and style. ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization governed by and for its members.