[Dixielandjazz] Paying to play was Quick reference tune list of 20 Songs inPublicDomain

Wed Feb 28 10:06:26 PST 2007

Actually this reminds me of an incident when I was first starting out in the 
business.  I was in college and playing (about 1960)in a road house about 30 
miles from nowhere.  The bar operator called me over and introduced me to 
the ASCAP  rep (???) and he collected some money from me.  As I recall it 
was about $10.  I talked to my agent who was connected.  He let me know that 
we weren't supposed to pay this guy and that he would take care of it.  The 
collection  guy was only supposed to collect from bands that were not 
affiliated with the right people.  In other words it was a shake down of 
"outside" musicians.  Not only did I get my money back but no one ever tried 
to collect anything again.  In this case ASCAP collection was just a cover. 
Watch who you pay.

If someone hires me to play I will not pay any hidden fees to anyone.  The 
venue who is making money from you should pay.  That should be in your 
contract somewhere so there isn't an argument about it.  I have played on TV 
and they get a tune list but they take care of that as a matter of routine 
business.  Now CD sales are a different matter.  If I do a CD then I am 
making the money and would have no problem with it.

I have a rule - I get paid to play, I don't pay people to play.  That's 
professional musician course 101.  Some guys should write this 100 times on 
the blackboard.
1.I get paid to play, I don't pay people to play.
2.I get paid to play, I don't pay people to play.
3.I get paid to play, I don't pay people to play..............

You know I really have a hard time with this whole thing.  I know of no 
other job description where a person or corporation who asks you to work has 
the right to expect you to work for free.  Then to have to turn around and 
explain to other musicians over and over the basis of any job.  work = pay, 
work = pay, work = pay.  Very simple or am I not speaking English?
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <tcashwigg at aol.com>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 2:09 AM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Quick reference tune list of 20 Songs 
inPublicDomain

> It works for me,  I have printed it out and will keep it in the drum
> cases ( just in case a sleuth shows up:))
>
> Two out of 20 ain't bad, and maybe he will actually recognize those two
> :))   Heck if you've played One Blues You've played 'em all anyway
> right ? :)
>
> When touring in europe I have to fill out the song performance log as
> well, and I usually just give them a song list of 15 or so songs that
> we may or may not have played listing my favorite artist/composers or a
> list of Original compositions by me which also works fine.
>
> I have never receive a penny from any of the collected royalties they
> have collected form the festival promoters either nor even a
> notification that they ever even collected any money.  And I have seen
> them collect it too RAY.   I too have flown around the world on that
> Broomstick.   Did a show in Italy one night with the composer of every
> song we performed on the keyboard, and the Sleuth came up and wanted a
> list of the songs so he could collect for the songwriter/composer,  I
> gave it to him and took him over for an autograph from the composer and
> asked him to for once just give the composer the money he collected for
> him. :))   Ha Ha Ha.  oH no sir I must take it back to the office and
> we will send it to the ASCAP office in NY and they will forward it to
> him.  Yeah right ,  he has been dead for ten years and never got a
> dime, and that was back in 1989.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Tom Wiggins
>
> Bye the way we would play any of them if our audience asked for them,
> except for the two or three War horses. :))
> Most Trad. Jazz festivals tell us we play Too many Blues songs anyway,
> and since none of them have ever booked us anyway, why do we need to
> worry about the List. :))
>
> We don't play cheap songs :))
>
> Just kidding folks, :))  well sort of.
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: larrys.bands at charter.net
> To: barbonestreet at earthlink.net; dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
> Sent: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 8:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Quick reference tune list of 20 Songs in
> PublicDomain
>
>   Thanks for the list Steve - It looks like my play list.
> Larry
> St. Louis
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
> To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 10:16 PM
> Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Quick reference tune list of 20 Songs in
> PublicDomain
>
>
>> Bob Ringwald asked about public domain tunes that you might list when
>> faced
>> with the money grubbers from ASCAP, BMI and/or SESAC. And Ray Osnato
> pays
>> a
>> $35 ASCAP fee for more current tunes. Below is my quick 20 PD list:
>>
>> 1840    Frankie & Johnny Were Lovers
>> 1902    Bill Bailey
>> 1903    Ida
>> 1909    Memphis Blues
>> 1909    Some Of These Days
>> 1910    That's Why They Call Me Shine
>> 1911    Waiting For The Robert E. Lee
>> 1911    Alexander's Ragtime Band
>> 1912    All The Things You Are
>> 1914    St Louis Blues
>> 1914    Yellow Dog Blues
>> 1915    Jelly Roll Blues
>> 1917    At The Jazz Band Ball
>> 1917    Back Home Again In Indiana
>> 1917    Rose Room
>> 1917    Original Dixieland One Step
>> 1917    Darktown Strutters Ball
>> 1917    Tiger Rag
>> 1918    After You've Gone
>> 1919    Royal Garden Blues
>>
>> Others include: My Honey's Lovin Arms, China Boy, Chinatown My
> Chinatown,
>> Sensation Rag, Take Me Out To The Ball Game, Dallas Blues, Peg O' My
>> Heart,
>> Ballin The Jack, I Ain't Got Nobody, Pretty Baby, Poor Butterfly
>> (beautiful
>> verse), Livery Stable Blues, Hindustan, Ja Da, Dardanella, Mandy,
> Avalon,
>> Whispering, Purple Rose of Cairo, Loveless Love, Wang Wang Blues,
> There'll
>> Be Some Changes Made, Wabash Blues, The Sheik of Araby, Chicago,
> Runnin
>> Wild, My Buddy, Limehouse Blues + many, many more.
>>
>> All 1922 or prior and in public domain for whenever the Tune Nazis
> are out
>> and about. I do over 100 concerts a year with over 200 people in
>> attendance,
>> some with 5000 in the audience and so Ray's $35 fee would become
> $3500 to
>> $5000 a year. That's a lot of money for a scam. And if you've
> licensed
>> songs
>> for a CD, it's approximately $80 per song, 3 minutes or less, so if
> Billy
>> Joel paid $500 for a multi thousand audience, the rest of us get
> screwed
>> licensing 15 songs for a 1000 CD run. (Costs over $1200 for the
> license)
>>
>> And what to do if playing for free? Pay a license fee? I don't think
> so.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Steve Barbone
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
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