Re: Music piped to gas pumps

["Shel Swartz" <shel@lotsofun.com>]

>I checked with the ASCAP office in Framingham and they confirmed my
suspicion -
>restaurants, etc. that pipe in music (whether full broadcast or not) MUST
pay a fee
>to ASCAP, BMI and SESAC.  A friend of mine owns a number of DD shops (the
coffee
>folks) and he has to pay about $900 per year per shop - he got caught a few
years ago not
>doing it and had to pay a arrearages and penalties in excess of $75,000!!

They should have thanked him and given HIM a check!  Maybe restuarants ought
to charge teh recording companies for playing music!
>
>The radio station (or TV station) pays the right to broadcast the music,
but when another
>business replays the audio in their business - they are using the
composer's work and must
>compensate the composer for his/her work.

The composer ought to be compensated from record sales.  Sony, MCA,
Columbia, et al, are certainly not hurting.
(shel)
>-g.f.

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