[Dixielandjazz] RE: BMI & ASCAP MAFIA

[G. William Oakley]

Well said. And bravo with a couple of huzzahs for good measure.
Best,
Bill
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <TCASHWIGG at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 11:20 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] RE: BMI & ASCAP MAFIA


>
> 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.
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