[Dixielandjazz] BMI

[Dave Gravatt]

About a month ago I had a conversation with an ASCAP representative who had
been after the club where we play to ante up $265 a year because we're
there. This is in addition to the ASCAP fees the club is already paying just
to pipe the canned music into the place when we're not there. The rep could
not tell me how old a song had to be before it is public domain. She thought
it was 1914 because that was the year ASCAP was formed. (I'm sure most
people on this list know it has nothing to do with when ASCAP was formed). A
confusing subject? Oh, yeah. Even ASCAP doesn't know.

But more to the point. One of the things I asked her was whether or not this
$265 was going to directly benefit the family of Irving Berlin, Fats Waller,
and others who wrote the tunes we play. She admitted, "no", that such small
amounts just go into the general fund and don't really benefit any of the
composers or their families. It is truly an amazing organization and the
resentment for it that you'll sense on this list seems to be in line and
well deserved.

Dave
====================
The Creole Dixieland Jazz Band
"It's a treat to beat your feet"
Dave Gravatt
417-581-5626
Springfield, Missouri
http://www.CreoleJazz.com



----- Original Message ----- 
From: <acjspres at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 28, 2004 8:43 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] BMI


> I know a couple of musicians who get a very nice royalty check every three
> months from BMI because songs they have written have been recorded and are
> played often. Why not just pay the tab? Our jazz society just pays the
bill to
> avoid legal hassles down the road.
>
> Joe Hopkins
> Jazz Clarinet
> AZ Classic Jazz Society...V.P. and 2004 Festival Co-Director
> 480-396-6798 or 602-810-5888
> www.azclassicjazz.org
> _______________________________________________
> Dixielandjazz mailing list
> Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> http://ml.islandnet.com/mailman/listinfo/dixielandjazz
>