Jim Selby, President, Global Music Publishing at BMG, has been elected to the ASCAP Board of Directors.
Selby has joined the board as a publisher member, ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board Paul Williams announced on Thursday (September 24).
ASCAP is the only US performing rights organization founded and governed by a board elected by its songwriter, composer, and publisher members.
“The ASCAP Board cares deeply about making decisions that are in the best interests of the membership as a whole,” said Williams. “As a global publishing leader, Jim has the expertise to tackle the complex issues facing music creators and publishers in today’s market, from both the challenges and opportunities of AI to licensees who want to pay songwriters less.
“He will be an invaluable voice on the ASCAP Board in our mission to advocate for and protect our more than one million members.”
Selby assumed the role of President, Global Music Publishing at BMG following the combination of Concord and BMG completed on September 1, with Bob Valentine named CEO.
He played a central role in bringing together the two companies’ global publishing businesses.
As part of the integration, he helped shape the strategy, organizational structure, and leadership model for the combined organization across North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America, and Asia-Pacific.
As President, Global Music Publishing, Selby is responsible for leading the next phase of BMG‘s publishing strategy, with a focus on growing the company’s global roster and catalog, strengthening its creative presence in key markets, and expanding opportunities for songwriters and composers.
Prior to BMG, Selby served as Chief Publishing Officer of Concord, where he led the company’s global publishing operations and strategy.
He held several other senior positions at Concord before that, including General Manager Record Labels, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Revenue Officer.
Earlier in his career, Selby served as CEO and General Manager of Naxos of America.
Selby is a former Chairman of the A2IM Board of Directors, and currently serves on the NMPA Executive Board, the CMRRA CPC board, and the ICMP Board.
ASCAP was founded in 1914 and is governed by a board of songwriter, composer and music publisher members.
According to the organization, ASCAP represents more than 1.1 million songwriters, composers, and music publishers, and licenses a repertory of over 20 million musical works.
The New York-based organization reported record revenues of $1.945 billion in 2025, and distributed a record $1.759 billion in royalties to its members.
ASCAP says it returns nearly 90 cents of every dollar collected to its members as royalties, and that it has the lowest overhead rate of any US PRO.Music Business Worldwide
