In 2013 he won the ASCAP Country Songwriter of the Year award. Kear is an advocate for songwriter's rights. He has made multiple trips to Washington D.C. to lobby congress on behalf of songwriters. He also performed for the Library of Congress in 2014 as part of ASCAP’s "We Write The Songs" series along with Randy Newman, Carly Simon and Heart. Kear also helped write the theme song for ASCAP’s 100th Anniversary, "More Than The Stars", collaborating with such writers as Ne-Yo, Dan Wilson, Stargate, Bill Withers and others.