[Dixielandjazz] Royalties

[Stephen Barbone]

>
> "Kurt" <bowermastergroup at qwest.net> wrote (polite snip)
>
> The thing that really makes me mad about the entire situation is that the
> people who should get the money from the licensing fees rarely see a dime.
> It all goes to support the bureaucracy and pay the high priced lawyers.  If
> we play a Jelly Roll Morton tune, how much of the fee actually arrives at
> the Morton estate in the form of a check?  If someone can prove any
> different, let me hear it.

Jelly Roll Morton's royalties? I think ASCAP did not let him join until shortly before he died. So, he never made much money at all on royalties. Like many organizations in pre 1950 America, ASCAP was pretty well segregated. A few blacks were accepted. Like Louis Armstrong for example, but not many. And I suspect Joe Glazer's muscle contacts were responsible for Louis's membership and royalty payments, so
that Glazer could get his share.

He may well have sold the licensing rights to his tunes for $100 each to some one else. (Melrose?), because there was no way for him to collect, but I do not know this for a fact.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone