"Play it again ... and we'll sue!"
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- St_Alia_10191
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Clubs and coffeehouses all across the country that feature cover artists are being harrassed by lawyers for more and more money, threatening to sue if they don't pay up. Since when did copyright agencies become thugs and shakedown artists?
"(Open mic nights,) spawning grounds for the next generation of musical talent, have come up against the demands of US copyright law, as enforced by a handful of companies who act as collection agents for songwriters and composers. The law states that no performer in a public venue can present someone else's copyrighted music without their permission and, usually, without compensating them. A number of agencies, chief among them Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), charge music venues an annual copyright "license fee" ranging from $300 to nearly $10,000 for the privilege of presenting someone else's music."
"(Open mic nights,) spawning grounds for the next generation of musical talent, have come up against the demands of US copyright law, as enforced by a handful of companies who act as collection agents for songwriters and composers. The law states that no performer in a public venue can present someone else's copyrighted music without their permission and, usually, without compensating them. A number of agencies, chief among them Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), charge music venues an annual copyright "license fee" ranging from $300 to nearly $10,000 for the privilege of presenting someone else's music."
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cybexg
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Wait, I don't understand....doesn't the statutorily created collective buy-in schemes as offered by ascap, bmi, sesac also cover live reproduction?
Also, there is a "beer gardens" exemption but it has been years and I am unsure of the extent to which it may apply.
- 3 years ago
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cybexg
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St_Alia_10191
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cybexg:
And what about kareoke bars?
- 3 years ago
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St_Alia_10191
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cybexg
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cybexg:
Kareoke (sp??) bars purchase a limited catalog which incorporates a license permitting the reproduction of the cataloged works. Note, I am unsure if the license actually only permits the visual reproduction (the words) and the bar relies upon their purchased statutory license for the audio reproduction or if the catalog license also grants the audio reproduction too.
- 3 years ago
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cybexg
