Quote:
Originally Posted by Doubleneck
Played a open mic tonight and the Coffee House had to have it on the stage of a local nonprofit art center to avoid ASCAP licensing issues. We have a nice growing downtown with lots of small venues to play but I guess you can't do it unless you have original music. I know it's been talked about here but this is the first time I have seen it in action, just retired and thought it would be fun to play some of my old songs. The day the music died, nothing is just fun anymore. Wonder if George would have really cared that I played "Here Comes The Sun"?
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Many singer-songwriters who are unsigned by record labels join ASCAP, BMI and SESAC as it's a requirement even for getting paid for play on indie radio stations. If you play open mics the works you register with these organizations is covered. If I understand the BMI contract, they have the right to file a law suit against a small unlicensed venue if I go in and play my own songs.
They probably just scan the internet for venues hosting open mic's and compare them against their database of licensed venues and send out a generic cease and desist letter. They probably have a software program that does does all this without much human intervention.