[Dixielandjazz] Dixielandjazz Digest, Vol 59, Issue 45

[eupher dude]

I've finally formulated thoughts which have been nagging in the back of my little brain for a while.

We, the performers, bemoan the loss of income due to competition from other genres, low pay from the buyers, lack of venues willing to pay for ANY live music, etc etc ad nauseum ad astra alan arkin.

Why, then, do we bitch and moan about ASCAP and BMI and SESAC when they're doing what their members want them to do?  After all, if it wasn't for ASCAP and BMI there would be almost NO money exchanged for any performances or recordings, and what would happen to the recording industry?  Would you let a song be recorded and performed freely, live or recorded, with absolutely no possibility of compensation for your work?

It's up to the MEMBERS of ASCAP, BMI SESAC, whatever others might be out there--the ones who thos organizations represent--to make those associations accountable to the membership (I hope I'm using the right vernacular to describe the people represented by the groups.)  Without them, without the powers of enforcement those organizations have by way of the assent of their members and the laws concerning copyright,
we would have diddly squat to play ourselves anymore.   At least as far as new music goes.  OKOM wouldn't suffer a lot,  but  since  a lot of tunes are still covered by publication rights etc, there would be a lot of backlash.

Think of it--if a venue had to pay EACH rights owner separately, the costs would be much higher.  Did anyone have a 10m satellite dish, where you had to get separate scramblers for CNN, ESPN, USA, TBS, and every other popular station?  They weren't that expensive, maybe $5 apiece, but for everything it was maybe $40 or more a month.

Now, the small satellite dish networks do it all, cover the rights to the networks, for a lot less than that.  And,  a lot more variety of channels is available as well.

It's up to those who SHOULD be benefiting from ASCAP et al to get the proper benefits.  In reality, IMO, we're on the same side, just different angles to center.  

Yes, I know, the problem is corporations.  What to do about the conglomerates that own rights to songs but don't pay royalties to the composer/lyricist/arranger/recording artist.  Again, if business is taken care of properly, there's no issue, either you get the money or not, and if not, go to court.  Easy to say, maybe not so easy to do.

But, that's the way it is.  We can work with it to make it better, or ignore it and watch everything built up over 50-60 or however many years implode.

steve 'a load off my mind' hoog
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