Elizabeth Matthews is Chief Executive Officer of ASCAP, the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP), a membership association of more than one million US composers, songwriters, lyricists and music publishers of every kind of music. ASCAP licenses the public performance of its members' music, collects license fees, tracks performances and distributes to its members royalties based on their performances. Matthews has led ASCAP to record-breaking revenues and distributions for the past nine years. In 2024, ASCAP delivered $1.835 billion in revenue and $1.696 billion in distributions, up 5.7% and 6.5%, respectively, over the previous year. It was the eighth year that ASCAP distributions exceeded $1 billion. Since her tenure as CEO in 2015, ASCAP has generated a 7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for total revenues, and an 8% CAGR for total royalty distributions to members. ASCAP is the only U.S. performing rights organization that operates on a not-for-profit basis and delivers nearly 90 cents on every dollar collected back to its members as royalties with a 10% operating ratio.

Beth has been instrumental in leading ASCAP’s advocacy efforts to modernize music licensing. She has spearheaded a transformative six-year strategic plan to meet the future needs of ASCAP’s members and licensing partners, and has closed major deals with key licensees, including top streaming, broadcast, audio and audio-visual licensees that are yielding higher royalties for ASCAP songwriters, composers and music publishers.

Under Beth’s leadership, ASCAP has launched pioneering transparency initiatives and technology innovations and has annually processed trillions of performances of the more than 20 million works in the ASCAP repertory. Beth has become an industry leader on Artificial Intelligence (AI), with ASCAP as the only PRO to formally adopt principles that will protect songwriters and guide the organization’s decisions on the technology. Other AI-related initiatives she has implemented include creator education sessions, start-up incubation and policy advocacy on Capitol Hill.

She has earned a spot on Billboard’s Power 100 list nine times since 2016, has been regularly featured in Billboard’s Women In Music issue, and was selected for CNBC’s Changemakers: Women Transforming Business in 2025. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) as well as on the Board of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, among other Board seats.

Beth joined ASCAP in 2013 as Executive Vice President and General Counsel, overseeing the ASCAP Business & Legal Affairs department. Previously, she worked at Viacom Media Networks (formerly MTV Networks), where she held the position of Executive Vice President & Deputy General Counsel. She managed and oversaw the VMN Business and Legal Affairs teams covering Advertising, Content Distribution and Marketing, New Business Development, Global Digital and New Media and the VMN Mergers and Acquisitions Pipeline, Research and various Ancillary Businesses. Beth was also responsible for 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. Beth received her B.A. from Purdue University and her J.D. from Emory School of Law.