Kim Pearson, age 16, of Nashville, Tenn., for her question:

WHAT IS ASCAP?

ASCAP, as it is commonly called, is the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. It is an organization founded under the leadership of the Irish American composer Victor Herbert in New York City in 1914 to protect its members from copyright infringements and to work for the improvement of copyright laws.

ASCAP occupies first place among societies in the United States that grant licenses and collect royalties under copyrights assigned to it by its members.

ASCAP is the American affiliate of the International Confederation of Societies of Composers and Authors, organized in Paris in 1926.

Royalty earnings from radio and television performances are the chief source of income for ASCAP. A nonprofit organization, ASCAP distributes this income, after deduction of operating expenses, equally between the group of publishers and the group of composers and authors, but not equally among the individual members of each group. The royalties of each member are based on the extent of use of works by that member by the licenses of the society.

Membership includes music publishers, composers and lyricists.