Mike Dunbar appears to have alot of practical knowledge on this subject.

Mike says (I'm paraphrasing) that he would rather see a few admittedly already successful acts (read writers) get paid for public performance of their works, while those with not as much success go unpaid, rather than no one get paid at all.

I hope I've stated that right....

Brian says that a payment of (his figure) $1.91.oo a day should be so insignificant to the club owner that they should just pay it.

I disagree with both of these points...

to Mike, the rich are getting richer already..
We don't need to feed that situation..
Honestly, Mike..that sounds a little elitist, something I believe you are not.
That money comes directly out of the pocket of the performing artists that are trying to scratch out a living in these venues..
Knowing how little they are earning to begin with, I'm so surprised that you want to take this money from them.
As I've said before, and expense like this to the owner will immediately be reflected in his entertainment overhead, as it always is.

to Brian...

$1.91.00 a day doesn't sound like much....
But..double it if the guy is paying two PROs and I guess it's safe to say, triple it if he's paying three.
Now..remember that NOBODY in the business or private sector factors their payments by the day.
Shady lenders use a daily figure to give the illusion that the cost of something is insubstantial, but reputable businesses rarely do.
The reason is that the payments are not made by day..but annually or semi-annually.
No club owner or any other small business person is comfortable writing checks for hundreds of dollars.
Do the math on your 1.91 and it comes out to several hundred dollars a check and almost two thousand dollars if you're paying annually (that's a total for 2 or 3 pros paid annually)

That, to a club owner, is ALOT of money.

There is a reason why most "chain" establishments don't feature live entertainment.
They don't feel it is profitable..
You suggested that smaller places could be educated about the advantages of "live" music..
I would suggest that these larger companies who regularly do cost evaluations have decided that it is not financially sound and this lesson is not lost on the little guy !

My opinion is that this would be a good time to lighten the load on small venues..

I think the idea of forcing them to pay for a system that appears to be inequitable, especially for those of us at this level,
while putting money into the pockets of the Metallicas and Madonnas of the world, is a mistake.

As to getting paid for having our songs performed...

I do remember the first time I heard someone else perform one of my songs...
I did not hear a cash register go off...and all these years later...I'm not sorry.

About a year or so ago, I added a song to my "act" I cowrote with Corky Bernard.....
He's never asked me "Where's the money?"

These are tough times, and I honestly believe it's just good enough to get some band or artist to play our songs..
If we want to be paid for those songs we should go out and do them ourselves..

I do really believe that, and it comes from alot of years as a performer, and a few years as a writer.

As to Graham and the situation in Australia...

It sounds lots different down there is all I can say.

Much has been made about my "flip flopping"
An examination of my earlest posts (before I flipped out a bit) will show that my attitude was (and is) a curse on both your houses.
I think the club owners are cheap thinking...
I think the PROs are not functioning (on this issue) in the best interests of the vast majority of their members..
And I think the writers are being greedy..

The only people I view as blameless in this deal are the entertainers that are performing in these places.
They're working hard to make a living and the rest of us are just making it harder and harder..

Mark my words..pretty soon you won't be able to go out and hear ANYBODY singing your song if this keeps going the way it's going..

For myself....that would be sad indeed.

Here's hoping I can walk into someplace in Chicago in 2004 and hear somebody playing YOUR song !

Bob Young