RPM Direct has compiled this list of Professional Industry Organizations to give you quick access to the information and resources you typically search for online. If there is an organization that you do not see listed here but feel it is relevant and should be included, please let us know by writing to Submissions@rpmdirect.com.

The American Federation of Musicians (AFM)
With over 250 local unions throughout the United States and Canada, AFM is the largest union in the world representing the interests of the professional musician.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)
ASCAP is a membership association of over 145,000 U.S. composers, songwriters and publishers of every kind of music and hundreds of thousands worldwide. ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization created and controlled by composers, songwriters and music publishers, with a Board of Directors elected by and from the membership. ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works.

The Association of Professional Recording Services (APRS)
The APRS membership includes recording studios, post-production houses, mastering, replication, pressing and duplicating facilities, and providers of education and training, as well as audio engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, and consultants. Its primary aim is to develop and maintain excellence at all levels within the audio industry of the United Kingdom.

Audio Engineering Society (AES)
The Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology. Its membership is comprised of leading engineers, scientists and other authorities. The AES serves its members, the industry and the public by stimulating and facilitating advances in the constantly changing field of audio. It encourages and disseminates new developments through annual technical meetings and exhibitions of professional equipment, and through the Journal of the Audio Engineering Society, the professional archival publication in the audio industry.

Australian Performing Rights Association (APRA)
The first copyright collecting society set up in Australia, APRA represents 30,000 music writer and publisher members. As part of a world-wide network of similar organisations, APRA also provides local representation for more than 1,000,000 international composers. By arrangement, APRA also administers the rights of AMCOS.

Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA)
The Australian Record Industry Association was established and operates to represent the broad interests of all member record companies. ARIA has more than 80 members ranging from small "boutique" labels, to medium size companies and very large companies employing thousands of people. ARIA acts as an advocate for the industry, domestically and internationally. ARIA also collects statistical information from members and retailers. It compiles numerous ARIA charts with data provided by over 700 retailers and more.

BMI
BMI is an American performing rights organization that represents approximately 300,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in all genres of music. The non-profit-making company, founded in 1940, collects license fees on behalf of those American creators it represents, as well as thousands of creators from around the world who chose BMI for representation in the United States.

Electronic Music Foundation (EMF)
A not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing public understanding of the role that electronic music, in its myriad forms and technologies, plays in our world.

The Harry Fox Agency
The HFA is the leading mechanical rights agency in the United States. It issues licenses and collects royalties for over 27, 000 music publishers.

International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI)
IFPI is the organization representing the international recording industry. It comprises a membership of 1500 record producers and distributors in 76 countries. It also has national groups in 46 countries. IFPI's international Secretariat is based in London and is linked to regional offices in Brussels, Hong Kong, Miami and Moscow.

International Recording Media Association (IRMA)
A worldwide trade association encompassing organizations involved in every facet of recording media. IRMA's membership includes raw material providers, manufacturers, replicators, duplicators, packagers, copyright holders, and many other related industries.

The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
A full-service trade association which represents the interests of free, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters.

International Music Products Association (NAMM)
An international association representing more than 7,700 retailers and manufacturers of musical instruments and products from 85 countries worldwide.

Music Producers Guild (MPG)
The Music Producers Guild promotes and represents UK individuals in the music production and recording professions. The MPG membership includes producers, engineers, mixers, remixers, programmers, students and trainees, those involved in multimedia and any other individuals involved in the creative process.

National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS)
The Recording Academy is the premier organization for honoring achievements in the recording arts and supporting the music community. The Grammy Awards are the only peer-presented award to honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry. The Producers & Engineers Wing was established for the producers, engineers and other technical professionals who make up NARAS' membership. The goal of the P&E Wing is to craft advocacy positions on issues of consequence to this community.

National Association of Record Industry Professionals (NARIP)
With an emphasis on becoming better informed and more effective executives, NARIP offers professional development opportunities, educational programs and seminars, the opportunity to meet and interact with peers, a job bank, a member resume database for employers, a mentor network, a newsletter and other services.

National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM)
A not-for-profit trade association founded in 1958 whose nearly 1000 member companies represent the retailers, wholesalers, and distributors of prerecorded music in the United States.

The Performing Rights Society (PRS)
PRS collects liscence fees for the public performance and broadcast of musical works in the UK. It distributes this money to its members - writers and publishers of music.

Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)
The Recording Industry Association of America is the trade group that represents the U.S. recording industry. Its mission is to foster a business and legal climate that supports and promotes its members' creative and financial vitality. In support of this mission, the RIAA works to protect intellectual property rights worldwide and the First Amendment rights of artists; conduct consumer industry and technical research; and monitor and review state and federal laws, regulations and policies. The RIAA also certifies Gold, Platinum, Multi-Platinum, and Diamond sales awards, and recently launched Los Premios De Oro y Platino, a new award celebrating Latin music sales.

SESAC
Founded in 1930, SESAC is the second oldest performing rights organization in the United States. SESAC's corporate headquarters in Nashville houses all of the company's divisions, from creative to licensing to administration. The company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles and London.

Society of Composers Authors & Music Publishers Of Canada (SOCAN)
SOCAN is the Canadian copyright collective for the public performance of musical works. We administer the performing rights of our members (composers, lyricists, songwriters and their publishers) and those of affiliated international societies by licensing the use of their music in Canada.

Society of Professional Audio Recording Services (SPARS)
An organization dedicated to sharing practical, "hands-on" business information about facility ownership, management and operations. The SPARS community includes audio recording and mastering facilities, manufacturers, engineers, and multimedia specialists — everyone from single-operator studios to large multi-room facilities. If your business involves music recording, mastering, video, film, industrial or corporate media, advertising, computers, interactive games, forensic audio, studio design, manufacturing, internet audio, education, multimedia or any allied industry, your colleagues are members of SPARS.

TJ Martell Foundation
Founded by the music industry, The TJ Martell Foundation is dedicated to raising funds for innovative research for the treatment and cures of leukemia, cancer and aids.

Women In Music
The National Network for Women in Music is a non-profit membership organization designed to promote the recognition of women in music through services, education and networking resources. The goal is to help encourage and support the activities of women in all areas of music.