About

A composer named Irvin Graham passed away many years ago, at the age of 92. Mr.Graham had written a lot of songs and shows during his long career and was a lifetime member of the Dramatists Guild. Upon his death, we were surprised to learn that the Guild was a beneficiary of his will. In fact, he had left his entire life’s work to the Guild...and we didn't know what to do with it.

Irvin was one of four writers of a song called “I Believe.” Elvis recorded it, Frankie Laine, Barbra Streisand—it’s been recorded by just about everybody. His one-quarter interest in that tune generated significant income for the Guild every year, without us doing anything more than answering the phone and depositing the checks.

We thought, “Hmmm… maybe there’s something more we can do with this.” Meanwhile, the Guild continued to receive calls over the years from members who were trying to put their wills together. They wanted guidance on estate planning, particularly on the matter of finding someone they could trust, or just somebody willing, to make decisions about their work after they were gone. They also wanted to do something for the Guild, like Mr. Graham did, in order to support future generations of dramatists. But we had no advice to offer on such matters and did not have the staff, resources or expertise to take on the management of other properties.

Some years later, when Guild member Garson Kanin (the author of Born Yesterday and many other great works) passed away, he left his copyrights in trust for his then-wife Marian Seldes, for her benefit during her lifetime, with instructions for his work to then pass to the Author’s League of America (The League is the umbrella organization from which came both the Dramatists Guild and The Author’s Guild). So, when we were informed about Garson’s will upon the passing of Ms. Seldes, the “hmm” that arose from the songs of Irvin Graham became an “Okay, it’s time to do something about this.” The something we did was called DG Copyright Management, Inc. The Guild established the “DG©M” as a corporation with a public purpose: to provide access to estate planning resources and to defend and safeguard the legacy of dramatic writers. Instead of focusing on profits, it was created with the dramatists’ authorial intent as its prime directive and their legacy its sole concern.

By having the Guild’s Council—60 or so of the most prominent playwrights, composers, lyricists and librettists in America— act as your authorial proxy when needed, The DGCM can keep your work fresh and relevant in a constantly evolving culture while still remaining faithful to your authorial intent. And, by gifting your dramatic works and songs to the Guild (or to one of its non-profit organizations, like The Dramatists Guild Foundation, the Dramatists Legal Defense Fund and The Lillys Foundation), the DGCM also offers you the critical opportunity to support the generations of writers yet to come.

So thank you, Irvin (with no “-g”), for providing the “hmm” that lead to the “okay” which has become DG Copyright Management Inc. We wanted to turn your faith in us into something worthwhile, and we believe we have.