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Don't like ASCAP? Don't like taxes? They're both necessary and are needed whether or not we "like" them. ASCAP through licensing arrangements, aims to assure that artists are recognized for their work. True, some artists may never see any royalties, and horror stories abound. Suppose you were a musician and put countless hours, maybe months, into making some original songs and getting them on CD, or on Myspace, or whatever. Suppose you just did that to get your music out there. How would you feel if, say, the local 1980's cover band was playing your music and profiting from it at the local watering hole? Not fair, is it? Copyrights can only protect you if a dispute would arise and that rarely happens. In the US, most "cover music" is copyrighted by artists that are members of ASCAP (or perhaps SESAC). Any musician that wishes to perform any music in ASCAPs repetoire is required to have an ASCAP member agreement/license. The venue that hosts your band is also required to have an ASCAP license. DJ? Yes, you are required to have and maintain a license and you are strongly advised to maintain a set list for each and every set you play at each venue. You as a successful DJ are charing a fee for the playback of licensed material. If you had no material to play, you would not be a DJ. Give back to the artists. Listening to the artist's music is great. It's great that the artist took time and had the talent to share. Djs, cover bands, and original artists should boycott venues that do NOT have licensing in place. These venues are profitting from the effors of others. ASCAP can and will, through infrigement actions, assure that licenses are in place. A word from ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman: "Songwriters and composers are the people without whom the entire digital music industry would not exist. Without us, there are no lyrics or melodies to stream, download or trade. Without our music -- the music our fans want to listen to with the same passion we bring to the writing process -- there would be no reason for the new technology to exist, whether it be an iPod or a P2P enterprise. " So guys and gals, keep it legal, and support the artists. |
