Yeah, the cable companies have commercial level licenses, and they have to audit, # TVs, screen size, venue square footage. Adding record/CD players, a radio or CD player. Not everyone plays by the rules.

No, the PROs do not share. 3 licenses are required if a venue want to play all copyrighted music in the US. And there's rumor of a 4th.

Churches are exempt from license fees for "worship services." Other use of copyrighted materials, background music, concerts, plays, etc., all require licenses. However, I'm sure it's a slippery slope and that your pastor or church music director knows considerably more than I do about their use and requirements. Yes,churches have different requirements than more commercial places, and have a license available just for that.

Yep, when you contact with a PRO, and you can only contract with 1, and you play your own song in a licensed venue, the venue or you can submit the song list to the PRO, and you get paid to play your own song. How $%^) is that?

And the PROs are proactive. If they want, they know you have live music, and know you don't have a license with their company, it's easy for them to send a secret shopper in. They will make a list. "2 Jimmy Buffett, 1 Rolling Stones", and a suit for $10,000. As a venue, you get threatened enough, you pay attention. Try running a non-licensed open mic in Nashville at a coffee shop.

Google it. Here's one. http://www.digitalmusicn
ews.com/2014/10/29/ascap-bmi-sesac-force-local-coffee-shop-shut-live-music/

I also checked the license form used by a large coliseum. Big names play there. A Level. The contract requires the performer to provide the song list to both the venue (standard) and all PROs associated, and the performer is responsible for all payments (this is not standard in the bar-type world). So, what the venue is covering is that the performer has already contracted with BMI or whoever to play that cover song on their tour.

It's a great subject and opinions vary. ASCAP will say one thing, bar owners another, musicians. I've attended PRO conferences, as well as an annual seminar on Copyrights for Artist. I have a general idea of what is required. But the whole deal is muddy water at best.

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