PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic BMI & ASCAP

You might feel differently if you were the owner of the copyright.

I have told several folks here on the forum, as well as around my neck of the woods they were free to perform my songs all they want, I just ask that they not be recorded for profit. Although I have allowed a few to profit when they ask.

The cover band, club owner, wait staff and everyone else making money at the venue are making money off the song.


The staff at the club and the owner would make money anyway in most cases, music is just an added incentive to come in. Some live venues don't draw enough people to even pay the band so the club fits the bill or they pay them in food or drinks or the band plays for free. Then they are expected to turn around and shell out for royalty rights. Not cool in any form or fashion. They also have to pay to have the place cleaned up after said show and in a lot of cases expensive repairs due to damage done during said show.

The song that the writer has written, demoed, pitched and contracted to a publisher who has re-demoed, produced, shopped, promoted and contracted to a record company, etc.

99% of songs produced do not even recoup the expense of producing them. The 1% that are “hits” sustain the entire industry. Should they be offered for free, when everyone else down the chain profits from them?

Free is exactly what they are when they are performed in a club setting. No one can buy a copy of it, It will only be heard on the nights it is performed. It in no way effects the singer or songwriter's pocket at all; and may in fact help the original artist. When I was in high school Elvis Presley passed away. I use to go around singing Elvis' version of Trying to Get to You from His final concert album, yes I said album LOL. Some of my buddies said "who sings that?" and subsequently went out and bought Elvis' final Concert album because they wanted to hear his version of the song; this was before the day of the download. So I know that sometimes performing a cover song helps the artist out,(as if Elvis needed my help LOL again) and it never hurts them.

There is a difference in performing something where the same group of people will never hear it again I.E. a cover song in a club setting where most won't even remember the groups name, little on the song's sang;

and mass producing CD's for sale. In the case of the CD an artist might do a copy that would effect another artist's version and pocket, this is the reason you very seldom see 2 artist in the same genre of music cover the same song for release in the same year. Artist 1 knows if artist 2's version explodes they may lose money. You will see a rock group and a pop or country group do the same song as they know their audiences are different anyway.

But if artist 1 only sings in a club while artist 2 is on the billboard charts artist 1 has not in anyway hurt artist 2's sales; but as in the Elvis example may actually help artist 2.

How many of you have performed some where and somebody ask "who sings that song?"


The law is the law, and should be followed, but just because it is law does not mean it is makes sense or is right. It used to be against the law to spit on the sidewalk.