While Frank Sinatra got the glory, songwriter Johnny Mercer got some of the money, and his estate still does, thanks to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). ASCAP is the top performance rights organization in the world. The group protects the rights of composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers by licensing their copyrighted works for public performances and distributing royalties. Be they played in a stadium, on the radio or Internet, on an airplane, or in a bar, songs of more than 390,000 US members are covered. ASCAP also lobbies Congress on behalf of its members. The organization was founded in 1914 and is owned and run by its members.