It was founded in 1939 as a membership organization by composers Marion Bauer, Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Harrison Kerr, Otto Luening, and Quincy Porter.
For many years the main activity of the center was the accumulation of a library of American music which accepted score submissions from all composers who joined as members.
The center's library, which eventually contained over 60,000 individual scores, featured published materials as well as unpublished manuscripts, many of which were unavailable elsewhere.
In later years, Meet The Composer was spun off by the American Music Center as an independent organization run by John Duffy.
It sought to assist composers in making a living through writing music by sponsoring commissioning, residency, education, and audience interaction programs.