[FreeTally]

I am all for respecting musicians and their copyrighted meterial, but I have never agreed with this idea that they should get these fees for "public performance" of the songs. ASCAP has people ride around all over the country going to restaurants, bars and the like looking for anyone with a stereo system without their ASCAP sticker displayed, indicating the owner has paid the extortion fee.

[proxy_user]

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next selection will be Schubert's 'Arpeggione' sonata. This is the 1941 performance by Emmanuel Feuermann...

[Anchoragite]

I dunno... Lets think about what a nightclub would be like if it didn't have music.... Pretty boring, eh? Without music, a night club is just a bar.

So, to make the bar attractive, the owner plays music, and people come from all around to listen to the music as they drink.

Now, why exactly is the bar owner entitled to this increase in business brought about by the musicians?

If I ran a coffee shop, and people came to my business to read, would anyone have any problem with me running copies of all the latest best-sellers and providing them to my customers?

[tdadams]

I have never agreed with this idea that they should get these fees for "public performance" of the songs.

Would the restaurants, bars, and clubs have the same atmosphere and draw the same number of patrons without the music? No, they wouldn't. The music adds value to the business. What other good or service of demonstrable value would you expect to receive for free?

[Doctor Stochastic]

So how do you propose to compensate those who write music? Specific ideas would be welcome. ASCAP and BMI and SESAC would be interested in a better method.

On the other hand, the Government could just pay musicians to write and the pay for them out of general tax revenues. (At no cost to the restaurants.)

[Chunga]

"stereo system...extortion fee"

Establishments using copyrighted music to enhance the establishment's atmosphere are rightfully required to pay the composers and publishers of the music for the use of their intellectual property.

God bless the U.S.A.