ASCAP Appoints Elizabeth Matthews as EVP and General Counsel

The American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) announced today the appointment of Elizabeth Matthews as the organization’s Executive Vice President & General Counsel. Matthews, who was most recently Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel at Viacom Media Networks, a division of Viacom International Inc., will report to ASCAP CEO John LoFrumento and will oversee all legal affairs of the Society, managing both internal and outside legal services. She will assume her new position at ASCAP once she has satisfied her current contractual responsibilities to Viacom Media Networks.Commented LoFrumento: “ASCAP has a long history of successfully advocating for the rights of songwriters, composers and publishers. As the landscape for music performance rights evolves to adapt to rapidly emerging business models, Elizabeth Matthews’ experience in the global multimedia content marketplace, and her understanding of the complexities of our business, will be a great asset to ASCAP and our members. We look forward to her joining the ASCAP executive team.”Matthews comes to ASCAP from Viacom Media Networks, where she most recently held the position of Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel. At Viacom Media Networks, Matthews was responsible for the management and oversight of the Business and Legal Affairs teams covering Advertising, New Business Development and the VMN Mergers and Acquisitions Pipeline, Content Distribution and Marketing, Global Digital and New Media, Research and various Ancillary Businesses and for the drafting, structuring, reviewing and negotiation of strategic and complex commercial transactions across Viacom Media Networks’ programming services, including MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, CMT, Spike and Nickelodeon, among others. Prior to Viacom Media Networks, Matthews worked in the Intellectual Property and Corporate Groups for Chadbourne & Parke and the Business Technology Group for Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.Matthews added: “ASCAP’s role is critical to protecting the future and the livelihoods of American songwriters, composers and music publishers. With the stakes higher than ever, I look forward to working on their behalf and I am committed to ASCAP’s mission of securing the future for America’s music creators.”