[Dixielandjazz] Re: Public Domain (was BMI licensing)

[Bill Haesler]

Dear Bill, Tom, et al,
We here in Oz have a similar situation regarding public performance payments
and demands from organizations similar to yours, claiming to represent 'the
composers'.
Large live music venues and radio stations usually pay a blanket annual fee,
which covers these claims. Small venues (like pubs) usually ignore it. If
they do get persistent demands, they sack the band!
But it seems to us that all the fees collected are absorbed by
'administration' and that the money never reaches the intended beneficiary.
Composer royalties for tunes on commercially produced CDs are hard to avoid
here, but most bands (jazz, rock and other) which produce their own, for
sale at gigs, just ignore it all. Once again we have yet to see evidence
that the real authors of tunes ever see the money.
Don't we just love those middle-men?
I get angry about it all too.
However, my query is this, unless the situation is different in the US.
How many actual songs/tunes played by jazz bands are still in the 'public
domain'?
Not too many I suspect. The music publishing 'vultures' snatched up all the
early stuff years ago and re-copyrighted it as their own.
I suggest that a PD list would provide a very short and boring working
repertoire.
Very kind regards,
Bill.