Quote:
Originally Posted by regalcat
Is it a legal issue that prevents the music from the squares being broadcast?
|
I hope the broadcast restrictions are royalty related. I manage the record company for an iconic, RRHoF band, so I am obviously sensitive to the subject. If someone is playing our music publicly, I think royalties should be paid.
The problem is that since music now seems to be a fungible product to everyone, the illegal use and distribution is rampant. Revenue streams for physical products and/or use for advertisements and commercials are not difficult to track. With all of the internet distribution possibilities, it gets much more difficult to track.
My personal opinion is that all of the cover bands playing our music in the squares should be paying royalties. A lot of people profit from it (the cover band, the bars on the squares, restaurants, etc.), but not the original artists/composers. The problem is that tracking and prosecuting would be a nightmare for everyone involved.
And don't get me started on the subject of people who buy our CD, take it home and rip it, and then return it claiming it was defective. That process costs me $5 and I am left with a CD that has no value.
All of this is stealing the intellectual property from the artist that created it. And no, we are not all zillionaires.