The Songwriters Guild of America (SGA) is an organization founded in 1931, to help "advance, promote, and benefit" the profession of songwriters. It was founded as the "Songwriters Protective Association" by Billy Rose, George M. Meyer and Edgar Leslie. They issued the first standard songwriters contract, in 1932 and most writers consider it the 'standard' agreement in the industry.
The organization was later known as the American Guild of Authors and Composers, AGAC. In 1976, the organization, along with the RIAA, was one of the driving forces behind the creation of the Copyright Act of 1976. In the 1980s, it became the Songwriters Guild of America. In recent years, it joined forces with the National Academy of Songwriters.[1]
Current president is Rick Carnes.
The Songwriters Guild features online and offline classes in songwriting and the music business. Other features include contract review for members, in-depth song evaluations, royalty collection services and music industry resources.