Both Emily and Rich received an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Plus Award for 2018. Although they write musical theater as a team, they were each recognized individually for book & lyrics (Emily) and for music (Rich).
The award is meant to recognize up-and-coming ASCAP members who write in a field not normally known for immediate recognition, such as radio airplay. As ASCAP itself describes it, “The ASCAP Plus Awards program rewards ASCAP writer members of children’s music, concert music, jazz and musical theatre with a value beyond the scope of performance surveys.”
Established in the 1960’s, the ASCAP Plus Awards program provides cash awards and recognition to writers who create music with a value beyond the scope of performance surveys. They are determined annually be a panel of distinguished music experts, who are neither members, no employees of ASCAP. Typically around 2 percent of ASCAP’s 147,000 members receive the designation.
