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My wife lost a long-time gig when BMI strong armed an inexperienced owner. And my wife is a BMI artist! She has even been to BMI headquarters in Nashville to see their palacial building.

I'm BMI too but sometimes wonder why.



Assuming your "wife" is not a radio or record player....KIDDING!!1 (-: then you are mixing apples with oranges.

There is NO exemption for LIVE performances in "public places" regardless of size. A "public place" is defined as "one that is open to the public OR (not AND)where a substantial number of people outside of a normal circle of a family and its social acquaintences is gathered." POOF there goes the royalties for singing Happy Birthday!!
(-:

But for small "public" venues like restaurants, bars etc. the "blanket license fees" don't amount to more than chump change. Saloon owners spill more beer than they pay for the licenses!

But WHY do venues have to pay blanket license fees to ASCAP/BMI/SEASAC? Well, they have to pay for their food...and booze and napkins and everything else the public expects to get from the venue, so why EXCLUDE songwriters and their publishers?

Songs are PRODUCTS like any other product and the venues have music for one and ONLY one reason...because they at least THINK that they will attract more BUSINESS and PROFIT if they offer live music vs. not doing so.

So why should they be able to boost their own revenue and profit by USING a product...like music...and not pay the people who create and distribute it?

So, BMI wasn't "strong arming" the venue owner...they were just doing their JOB.

TRUST me...most songwriters live hand-to-mouth...even supposedly "successful" ones. Go into any Home Depot or taxi cab...or saloon in Nashville and you stand a good chance of being waited on by a songwriter with one or more HIT songs to his/her credit.

Most songs are co-written at least 2 ways and often 3 and the royalties for record sales are a stinking 9.1 cents per copy. So, on a 2 way write the writers get only about $24,500.00 each for a song on a PLATINUM ALBUM! That doesn't buy a mansion for any of them!!


But trust me again, there are a LOT more songwriters who have filed for bankruptcy than who live in mansions. It is a tough and often financially marginal "profession."

Regards,
Jim