[Dixielandjazz] RE: BMI & ASCAP MAFIA

[TCASHWIGG at aol.com]

Hi Folks:

Here is an article I just found in the local San Francisco Paper today.

"Todd Chapman of JMA Properties called the newspaper on Wednesday to say he 
hopes the street musicians will be back at Ghirardelli Square by the end of the 
month.  The reason the company had to put a halt to the performances was that 
his company needs to obtain a license to allow the musicians to perform in 
keeping with the RULES of ASCAP and BMI, which protect the composers of material 
performed.  "It is our intent to continue" the outdoor shows he said.

Now keep in mind that these Street musicians are musicians who cannot find 
any legitimate paid gigs in San Francisco so they have resorted to playing on 
the street in and around the Square where tourists go for tips.

The bastards at ASCAP and BMI have absolutely No Shame in extorting money 
from anyone they can.  play music in front of any company and the shameless 
bastards will sue  the company for royalties that the company has absolutely 
Nothing to do with.   (They are not hiring musicians and or telling them where or 
when or what to play, so therefore why should they be held responsible to pay 
for free activities on the street in and around their business by private 
entrepreneurs trying to make a living.)  If ASCAP and BMI want to collect money then 
they should actually in fact be dealing with the musicians, and having them 
fill out the paperwork and paying for any royalties they might actually be 
owing for tunes they are playing (If Any) and the burden of proof should be on 
ASCAP and BMI not the individual usually homeless (or very near it) musician 
trying to make enough money to stay alive.

You want to find gigs, exterminate these two organizations and you might see 
live music come back.

So all you wannabe songwriters out there writing all those Original songs and 
signing up with them for royalty collection pay attention.  They are not 
protecting you they are stifiling you and any income you might ever expect to get 
and diverting all that they do collect into their own greedy pockets for 
administrative salaries and lawsuits.

It is indeed time for musicians to stand up and fight back and take back the 
handling of their own business before it is too late and there will never be 
live gigs again to support any of you.

It is high time for musicians to lose the phrase in their vocabulary "Can you 
HELP ME the starving Musician" ??

Get off you lazy butts and do it yourself and tell these folks who are always 
willing to help you if they see you might actually have some income coming, 
by collecting your money for you and keeping it all.

Personally folks I have been wearing stainless steel underwear for many years 
and don''t play by their rules at all so I have no fear of bending over in 
their imminent presence.

Cheers,

Tom Wiggins

Stirring the Pot again.

 Like the Marines "Looking for a few good men or women to stink bomb ASCAP 
and the BMI Headquarters till they all go away"    I will soon start a baby 
skunk breeding farm and will have babies available for distribution to all their 
offices in about six months.   It may not put them out of buisiness but at 
least you can smell them coming and pack up and find another corner.

I can't promise you 76 vestal virgins or even that you will get laid at all, 
but we could sure slow them down a bit and give them something else to do with 
their time while we go out and manufacture some gigs.