[1] Founded in 1930 as the Society of European Stage Authors and Composers,[2] it is the second-oldest performance-rights organization in the United States.

The Society of European Stage Authors and Composers was founded by Paul Heinecke, a German immigrant, in New York in 1930.

The business evolved beyond gospel recordings and European composers during the 1940s, and in the 1950s SESAC established its electrical transcription service.

Among its transcribed artists were jazz and country performers: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman, Coleman Hawkins, Chico Hamilton, Jackie Wilson, Chet Atkins, and Hank Garland.

SESAC's affiliates roster includes Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, The Cars, Robert Johnson, Bryan-Michael Cox, Nate "Danja" Hills, Rush, Coheed & Cambria, Young Love, The Faint, Rapture, Mariah Carey (left SESAC in 2020 to join ASCAP[6]) and Adele (since 2017, formerly was with BMI).