Too late. lol (old habit, can't resist a shot at Rush d

So I talked to the owner at my primary location today (pizza parlor). He's discussed his run ins with the ASCAP folks with me before and it usually included foul language. I gave him the heads up that ASCAP may come in asking about AC/DC. He said no prob. He now pays about $340 a year for a site license (my term). This does not include the internet jukebox fees, which are covered by another operator.

As was explained to him, it covers all his TV's and any karaoke nights he chooses to have. When negotiating with them, he asked if he would still have to pay if he never turned on MTV and only kept the TV's on CNN. They said yes, because intros to shows and commercials often have music. That's how far down they drill. If you hear music coming out of anything in there, they want their fee.

It looks to me that they are currently going after businesses where they currently aren't collecting any money. I've always paid for my music and I'm a huge supporter of musicians. Last concert was the last Bridge School benefit and I paid for my ticket. So I want the musicians to get paid. The problem here looks to be the folks going for the fees. They obviously get commissions. Their tactics are worse than used car salesmen. That needs to be changed. Next time I go to my bar location, I'll talk to the owner there. They only play pandora music there. He's also a guitar player and music store owner, so it will be interesting to hear his thoughts and find out how much they soak him for.