For ACB member bands
The ACB music usage report, ready to send
Every piece your band performed, one row per concert, on ACB's own ASCAP & BMI performance list. Built from the concerts and programs you already keep in Backstage Baton, not retyped in January.
90-day free trial · No credit card · On both plans
What ACB asks member bands for
Bands covered by the Association of Concert Bands' blanket performance license report the music they played each year.
ACB asks for every work performed, free concerts and civic events included, with its title, composer, arranger, date, the performing organization and the location. The list goes to ACB by the end of the calendar year, and ACB accepts it through January 31. ACB's own advice is to fill it in after each concert.
In practice the list gets built in January from old programs, email threads and memory, one line at a time, often by the same volunteer who keeps the library. Missing a composer's first name means going back to the score.
For the license itself, its terms and who can hold it, see ACB's blanket performance license page.
How the report builds the list
Pick the dates (last calendar year and this year are one click each), run it, look it over, download it.
One row per piece per concert
A piece played at three concerts is three rows, each with its own date, the way ACB’s form wants it. No ditto marks.
ACB’s layout, exactly
Download ACB form gives you ACB’s own performance list: the same headings, shaded header band, column widths and MM/DD/YY dates, ready to email. A legacy .xls copy and a plain CSV are there too.
Names split the way the form asks
Composer and arranger each go into first-name and last-name columns. Your band’s name fills the performing group column on every row, whichever ensemble played.
Only concerts that happened
Cancelled concerts are left out, and nothing after today is ever reported, whatever dates you pick.
Your history counts too
Concert programs you brought in from past seasons report the same way as concerts you ran in Backstage Baton.
Flags, not guesses
A row with no composer or arranger on file, or a venue missing its city or state, is marked for review before you send it. Fix composers in the music library; the library’s spreadsheet round-trip handles a whole season at once.
Where the rows come from
Nothing extra to keep. The report reads what the band already records.
The program. Each concert's setlist says what was played and when.
The music library. Each piece carries its composer and arranger, often filled in by catalog lookup when the piece was added.
The venue. Each concert's venue supplies the location, city and state.
The librarian runs it from the Reports hub. It's on both plans, next to the grant report and the attendance report.
Frequently asked questions
Does Backstage Baton send the report to ACB for us?
No. You download the file and email it to ACB yourself, so you can look it over first. The form carries ACB’s own instructions for where to send it.
Which plan includes the music usage report?
Both. The music usage report is on Essentials and Complete, along with the rest of the Reports hub.
We have more than one ensemble. Is that one report or several?
One. Every ensemble’s concerts are included, and your band’s name goes in the performing group column on every row, because the license belongs to the organization.
What if a piece has no composer on file?
The row is flagged for review rather than guessed. Add the composer to the piece in the music library, or fix many at once with the library’s spreadsheet round-trip, and run the report again.
Can it include concerts from before we started using Backstage Baton?
Yes. Concert programs brought in from past seasons are reported the same way, so this year’s list can include concerts from before you signed up.
We aren’t an ACB member. Is the report still useful?
It’s a complete record of what you performed and when, by concert, and it downloads as a spreadsheet. Whether you need to report it anywhere depends on how your band is licensed.
Make this January the easy one
90-day free trial, no credit card. Put this season's concerts in as you go, and the list is ready when ACB asks for it.