I suspect this question has been asked before but do any of you ever encounter the song-gestapo from RIAA or any of the PRO organizations such as ASCAP or BMI trying to get your venue to cough up for having you play copyrighted songs? I've heard some real horror stories on this subject and wonder how it impacts you guys?

Thanks for your replies.

Dave Rice

It only happened to me when I was playing 6 nights a week at a 200 seat restaurant that offered dancing. The owners had never heard of licensing fees for music before.

It would have impacted me right out of a job...but I suggested the owners consider negotiating the fee. They did and got a lower rate than originally asked.

I can't remember the actual fee...but think it was around $500 per annum. After breaking it down on a monthly basis the owners felt a little better about it.

I don't know if this had anything to do with it, but a few months before, a CBS crew came in and did a story about the restaurant and showed me playing to seasonal visitors from Maine. It was my 15 seconds of fame on CBS Sunday Morning.

Eddie

It has never happened to me, even when I was playing restaurants and nite clubs on a regular basis. I think DonM had a visit from them and he just played some weird tunes he invented on the spot, just anything that came out of his head, they never bothered him again.

Gary

Actually I paid ASCAP each year. They let me have a minimum fee because I told them I was the only entertainment, and I just played when we had a big crowd and sometimes not at all.
No problems with them.
BMI was another story. They were downright nasty in attitude, and I never paid them a cent, even though they threatened lawsuits.
They never sent a rep as ASCAP did, they just kept phoning and making demands, even though they had no idea what music I had or was doing.
It is a necessary cost of doing business, but you can negotiate. It is the venue's responsibility, not the entertainer's.
DonM

BMI just started harrassing calls to a restaurant I play last week. They were real "gangsters"...threatening legal action and generally being asses.

What a bunch of jerks!


R.


[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 02-20-2009).]

And the rest of the story Russ?.....

Donny, I suggested that these guys not pay, and I quit playing there as of last night. We had a party booked there for a while, so I played that party and cleared out. This little place has no drink liscense and is making it, but not by much. Sadly, I had been at this little place for over three years and had made a lot of friends. Another place...a lot more upscale, has been asking me to work there again for a few years, and I'll start that early evening (5:00-8:00 P.M.) job tonight.

All the reps had to do was be nice, but they weren't. I believe in paying what's owed, but I won't put up with jerks like this under any circumstances.

The new place can afford and is paying all necessary liscensing fees.


R.


[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 02-20-2009).]

Russ were they after the club or you for playing there?



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 02-20-2009).]

Don is correct. Most of these guys will negotiate. It's always been a mystery to me how these organizations can collect and pay out colleted fees fairly. They're just a fact of life. I can think of 5 upscale, successful clubs here in Lexington where management has had enough and just stopped live music completely in the last two years. Usually, it's not the fee as much as the harrassment and attitude that kills the deal. Reps from one of these groups stayed at a hotel I played years ago. They would have been perfect for the Supranos...big, intimidating, stupid jerks.

R.



[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 02-20-2009).]

Donny, nothing personal going on. They're in town contacting all establishments with music and no liscensing agreement. They show up about once a year.

It's not what they do, it's how they do it that's so offensive.

And, they will resort to legal action.

Russ