The Society for the Publication of American Music

The Society for the Publication of American Music (SPAM) was founded in 1919 as a vehicle for relatively unknown contemporary composers to have their works published and then distributed to individual subscribers as well as university libraries. Each year, the board of directors examined numerous proposals and selected one or two works for publication.

Yale University figured prominently in the history of SPAM. At the time of SPAM's dissolution in 1969, Luther Noss, Dean of the School of Music, was the president, and Music Librarian Brooks Shepard was the treasurer. Many Yale composers were honored by SPAM, including Howard Boatwright, Jacob Druckman, Daniel Gregory Mason, Mel Powell, Quincy Porter, and David Stanley Smith.

From the guide to the The Papers of the Society for the Publication of American Music, 1924-1974, (Irving S. Gilmore Music Library, Yale University)