General Music Chat

All well and good, but the venue will still get fined, and the attorney will have fun at my expense. Not a wise plan. If the sax player I recruited is a member of BMI or ASCAP we won't do any of his originals. WEIRD situation to be in...

Bob, if that venue is earning an income by using music a songwriter wrote, and an artist recorded, then what's the problem with that venue paying for a license to do that?

It's not a prohibitive amount. If they think it is, they can just turn off the music and see how long people will hang out.

OR they can find someone that owns their own music (originals) and pay them to play. I think its a win/win for songwriters.

Who cares what cheapskate club owner think if they don't want to pay musicians?

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Ted, In an Ideal situation , you are correct... But there is a whole different enchilada with lawyers and such , who try to make a living by slamming venues, or chasing ambulances an such (My understanding is that BMI and ASCAP has to outsource its field investigators to get anything done) You can see where a mean spirited system emerges. I'm just guessing...

I understand the job market is over saturated with young lawyers just graduating from law school. So much so there is a group here in H-town sueing the career center at a law school that will remain nameless. Having said that, what else are they supposed to do after aquiring massive student loan debt to get that ever so coveted law degree. Well lets see? "Do you want fries with that"? or go to work for ascap or bmi or anyway they can earn a living! After all they are LAWYERS or ATTORNEY'S LMAO! "The more I think about it ole Billy was right, Lets kill all the lawyers kill'em tonight, you don't wanna work you want to live like a king but the big bad world doesn't owe you a thing Get Over It"!:lol:

Not to sidetrack my own thread, but ...

What do you call a dozen lawyers dead on the bottom of a swimming pool?





A: A good start!

All well and good, but the venue will still get fined, and the attorney will have fun at my expense. Not a wise plan. If the sax player I recruited is a member of BMI or ASCAP we won't do any of his originals. WEIRD situation to be in...

Bob, if that venue is earning an income by using music a songwriter wrote, and an artist recorded, then what's the problem with that venue paying for a license to do that?

It's not a prohibitive amount. If they think it is, they can just turn off the music and see how long people will hang out.

OR they can find someone that owns their own music (originals) and pay them to play. I think its a win/win for songwriters.

Who cares what cheapskate club owner think if they don't want to pay musicians?




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$2,000 a year is a rip-off, especially in this economy. And that's for a SMALL local neighborhood bar. Cover bands PROMOTE the bands' tunes they perform. In this economy the "cheapskate" owners should be given a BIG break in price for their BMI and ASCAP fees. I can see a few hundred bucks a year, NOT a few thousand.

All well and good, but the venue will still get fined, and the attorney will have fun at my expense. Not a wise plan. If the sax player I recruited is a member of BMI or ASCAP we won't do any of his originals. WEIRD situation to be in...

Bob, if that venue is earning an income by using music a songwriter wrote, and an artist recorded, then what's the problem with that venue paying for a license to do that?

It's not a prohibitive amount. If they think it is, they can just turn off the music and see how long people will hang out.

OR they can find someone that owns their own music (originals) and pay them to play. I think its a win/win for songwriters.

Who cares what cheapskate club owner think if they don't want to pay musicians?




.

$2,000 a year is a rip-off, especially in this economy. And that's for a SMALL local neighborhood bar. Cover bands PROMOTE the bands' tunes they perform. In this economy the "cheapskate" owners should be given a BIG break in price for their BMI and ASCAP fees. I can see a few hundred bucks a year, NOT a few thousand.

It's a lot cheaper than an alcohol license.
A small bar with 100 person capacity or less would probably pay $500 or $600 a year to cover both BMI and ASCAP fees. A couple of dollars a day.
Bigger venues pay more.

But hey, like folks been ripping off those old blues legends for years anyways ... eh?

Cover bands PROMOTE the bands' tunes they perform.

That's a silly assertion!
Cover bands play covers because it gets them more gigs and makes them more money than playing their own originals .. if they even have any.
Hit songs that bands cover have already been promoted on radio , TV and online.

Like they are doing Tom Petty or Micheal Jackson a big favor by covering their tunes?

Not to sidetrack my own thread, but ...

What do you call a dozen lawyers dead on the bottom of a swimming pool?





A: A good start!

LOL So this Cadillac has 5 lawyers in it... They are hauling ass down the road when the driver loses control. The Cadillac veers off the road, over an embankment, crashes into a rocky ditch and bursts into flames...

Now, whats wrong with this picture?














A Cadillac can seat SIX!

I played one of my newly-registered-at-BMI songs last night. The pennies will be rolling in now!