JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Another ASCAP Controversy

Ed,

The problem is that the lobby's supporting the little businesses in this case are hugely powerful in congress and have already squelched a lot of the efforts to collect for use of recorded music in businesses of all types. The Fairness in Music Act dealt with this issue and basically screwed writers in a very public way. This issue has gone on for a long time.

Artists/writers (i.e. those who do both) are generally their own worst enemies. They sell their souls for nothing in desperation to make a buck or even for the change to play and give it away for free.

Isn't it odd that these same venues don't feel that the person coming in to clean the floors at night shouldn't get paid, but the people in the venue there to get the customers to come in the first place don't deserve any pay? Isn't it odd they don't think twice paying the company that makes the sprinkles for the coffee drinks (which only slightly enhances the "experience" but they won't pay the people who enhance the experience of coming to the venue in the first place?

Artist/writers have sold their souls for a long time. They stand in line begging to sign really BAD contracts. They whore themselves out every way possible for a little attention or acknowledgement. This is simply another symptom of this problem. And sadly, no matter how bad the contract, or how little or nothing they get paid for a lifetime of effort/work, there will ALWAYS be a LONG LONG line of people willing to do more and take less for the chance to be noticed. It's like a sickness.

The PRO's have a lot of perception and educational problems. BUT.. their biggest hurdle may be artists who give it away (or even PAY to give it away) than take a risk that 1 less person might actually pay for it. Pick the biggest artist out on tour this year. Imagine the demand if they ALWAYS played for free, always gave their CD's away and grovelled for ANY attention that someone would give them. Do you think anyone would care about them anymore? Sadly, local artist/writers do this every day. And in some case, they bite one of the few hands trying to feed them.. the PRO's.

No legit business having live music is unable to justify pennies to a dollar or two per night of live music as a realistic and fair cost of business. If they do, they are either being A$$holes or they are REALLY bad business people with no clue what they are doing. If live music isn't producing 2 dollars a day in extra profit, your problems are FAR more serious than a PRO bill. In fact, each time this comes up it's generally a venue who's simply being a jerk and cancels live music because their ego is simply too big to give in and pay what they owe. I haven't heard of any true life hard luck stories where under 2 dollars a day put a venue under.

Brian