5 ms·

Bars and retail stores count as "public performance" for purposes of song royalties. So the group in question can be quite small.

delinka 12y ago
But the people in bars and retail stores are not the acquaintances of the manager (or whomever chose the music to play.)
- uxp 12y ago
  Texas agrees with you: > Do I need a license to play music in my establishment? > Yes! When you purchase a CD, MP3 or similar product, you are granted the right to non-public performance of the material, such as at home or in your car. [...] Although you may have paid for a copy of the music, or are paying a DJ or live band to perform copyrighted music, you are still required by U.S. Copyright Law to obtain the proper licenses for the playback of the songs. [...] http://governor.state.tx.us/music/guides/music_in_venues http://governor.state.tx.us/music/guides/music_in_venues It goes on to state that ASCAP does not have licensing information available on their website (as of the last update in 2009), but BMI does. Here's their license for "Local Governmental Entities": http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/lge.pdf http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/lge.pdf and for completeness, "Eating and Drinking Establishments": http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/ede.pdf http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/ede.pdf Another article from The Guardian also reports that in 2010, prisons in the UK had to enforce rules to prevent music from being played in the open because licensing costs were becoming too expensive: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jan/19/prison-music-ban http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jan/19/prison-music-...
  - fragmede 12y ago
    ASCAP's own page is strangely silent on the topic of jails; the closest I could find were 'Endurance Events' - http://www.ascap.com/licensing/types/endurance-marathon-triathalon.aspx http://www.ascap.com/licensing/types/endurance-marathon-tria... See the complete list here: http://www.ascap.com/licensing/licensefinder http://www.ascap.com/licensing/licensefinder
    - emgee3 12y ago
      There's a good euphemism
tomp 12y ago
That's because they are open to the public. Jails are not, in general - they're more like invite-only parties.
- mturmon 12y ago
  I've got John Yoo on the phone for you. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Yoo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Yoo)
- jahewson 12y ago
  Copyright law defines a public performance as one which occurs outside of a family and it's normal social circle. So any performance at an invite-only party is regarded as a public performance. For this reason, although a jail is not a public place, any performance there would be considered a public performance. This makes sense when you think about it: an invite-only party could be held in a fancy hotel and have many hundreds of guests, or it may be a business event.

delinka 12y ago

But the people in bars and retail stores are not the acquaintances of the manager (or whomever chose the music to play.)

uxp 12y ago
Texas agrees with you: > Do I need a license to play music in my establishment? > Yes! When you purchase a CD, MP3 or similar product, you are granted the right to non-public performance of the material, such as at home or in your car. [...] Although you may have paid for a copy of the music, or are paying a DJ or live band to perform copyrighted music, you are still required by U.S. Copyright Law to obtain the proper licenses for the playback of the songs. [...] http://governor.state.tx.us/music/guides/music_in_venues http://governor.state.tx.us/music/guides/music_in_venues It goes on to state that ASCAP does not have licensing information available on their website (as of the last update in 2009), but BMI does. Here's their license for "Local Governmental Entities": http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/lge.pdf http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/lge.pdf and for completeness, "Eating and Drinking Establishments": http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/ede.pdf http://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/ede.pdf Another article from The Guardian also reports that in 2010, prisons in the UK had to enforce rules to prevent music from being played in the open because licensing costs were becoming too expensive: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jan/19/prison-music-ban http://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/jan/19/prison-music-...
- fragmede 12y ago
  ASCAP's own page is strangely silent on the topic of jails; the closest I could find were 'Endurance Events' - http://www.ascap.com/licensing/types/endurance-marathon-triathalon.aspx http://www.ascap.com/licensing/types/endurance-marathon-tria... See the complete list here: http://www.ascap.com/licensing/licensefinder http://www.ascap.com/licensing/licensefinder
  - emgee3 12y ago
    There's a good euphemism

tomp 12y ago

That's because they are open to the public. Jails are not, in general - they're more like invite-only parties.

mturmon 12y ago
I've got John Yoo on the phone for you. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Yoo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Yoo)
jahewson 12y ago
Copyright law defines a public performance as one which occurs outside of a family and it's normal social circle. So any performance at an invite-only party is regarded as a public performance. For this reason, although a jail is not a public place, any performance there would be considered a public performance. This makes sense when you think about it: an invite-only party could be held in a fancy hotel and have many hundreds of guests, or it may be a business event.