[Dixielandjazz] Who is BMI?

[Dan Augustine]

Folks--
     Well, i bin, man and boy, a member of ASCAP since about 1976 or 
so, ponying up $10 or $20 a year every year since then, and i have 
never gotten a damn dime from them.
     Admittedly, my reason for joining was poor: i arranged a piece 
called _Canzon Trigesimaquinta_ by Tiburtio Massaino (a contemporary 
of Giovanni Gabrieli, in the early 1600's) for 4 antiphonal brass 
quartets (published by G. Schirmer), and it cannily occurred to me 
that this would be a perfect piece to play to demonstrate the latest 
technology in sound recording, Quadraphonic Sound!  (The piece calls 
for a quartet of brass instruments in each corner of a room, or 
auditorium.)  How many of you ever bought a Quadraphonic recording? 
I rest my case.
     Sadly, even though i sold a number of copies of the arrangement, 
which was also recorded by the University of Minnesota brass ensemble 
in the 1980s, ASCAP never sent me any money.
     I also arranged and played tuba on the song "No Kinda Dancer", 
written and sung by Robert Earl Keen, on his first album/CD (in the 
early 1980s), and to date i still have zilch from ASCAP.
     I'm sure that there are many people reading this who have been 
members of ASCAP far longer than me, have written and performed many 
times in person and on recordings, and have still never received one 
penny from ASCAP.
     As far as i'm concerned, the record labels and recording 
companies, all their minions and hangers-on, publicists, ASCAP, BMI, 
etc., can go broke, and good riddance.  The average 
musician/composer/performer never got a dime from them, and they got 
rich.  I'm glad their business is hurting, and will soon be defunct. 
Maybe then we can figure out a way properly to pay people who write 
and perform music.

     Signed,

     Puzzled and Disappointed (Dan)
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>From: "Scott Anthony" <santh at pacbell.net>
>Date: Mon, 16 Apr 2007 18:53:55 -0700
>Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Who is BMI?
>Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
>
>Is there anyone on this list (lurker or contributor) who is a member 
>of ASCAP or BMI? There must be some musicians who have written tunes 
>that are subscribers. Maybe if the membership of these organizations 
>starts to speak out, some things might change.
>
>Scott Anthony

-- 
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**  Dan Augustine  --  Austin, Texas  --  ds.augustine at mail.utexas.edu
**      "Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk.  That will
**       teach you to keep your mouth shut."  --  Ernest Hemingway
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