Establishment, City, State Brookside Sports Bar & Grille, Surprise, AZ Bar 330, Brea, CA Paulie's Upper Deck, Redondo Beach, CA Frankie's Too!, Falcon, CO The Guards / Griffin Room, Washington, DC Matilda's Pub & Barbie, Newark, DE Ultra Lounge, West Palm Beach, FL Best Western - Sea Breeze Lounge, Fernandina Beach, FL Wrigleyville North, Chicago, IL Ice Lounge, Indianapolis, IN Tin Alley Grill, Framingham, MA The Quarter Bistro & Tavern, Ann Arbor, MI Scott's 1029 Bar, Minneapolis, MN Parrot's Sports Bar, St. Peters, MO Black Tie Nightlife, Raleigh, NC Dexter's, Riverdale, NJ One, New York, NY Cannon's Black Thorn Inn, Rockville Centre, NY Fireside Inn, Port Crane, NY Club Majestic, Tulsa, OK Emerson's Pub, York, PA Charleston Beer Works, Charleston, SC Chattanooga Food & Drink, Chattanooga, TN Drillers, Houston, TX Pat's Pub, The Colony, TX Vette's Sports Grill, Odessa, TX Five 01 City Grill, Virginia Beach, VA The Flame, Spokane, WA Long Wong's, Milwaukee, WIAbout ASCAP Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 315,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 music rights organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members. www.ascap.com
ASCAP Initiates Infringement Actions Against Nightclubs, Bars and Restaurants Performing Copyrighted Music Without Permission
| Source: ASCAP
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - March 24, 2008) - The American Society of Composers, Authors and
Publishers (ASCAP) today announced that it has filed 29 separate
infringement actions against nightclubs, bars and restaurants in 22 states
and the District of Columbia.
In each of the cases filed today, the business establishment has publicly
performed the copyrighted musical works of ASCAP's songwriter, composer and
music publisher members without obtaining a license from ASCAP to do so.
ASCAP reached out to the owners of each of the establishments repeatedly
over a significant period of time before taking legal action. In every
instance, the establishment refused to obtain a license, but continued to
perform ASCAP members' music without permission, resulting in the filing of
the infringement actions.
ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing
royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted
works. Those licensed by ASCAP include any establishment or business that
wants to perform copyrighted music publicly.
"By filing these 29 actions at the same time, ASCAP is aiming to heighten
awareness among music users and the public that it is a Federal offense to
perform copyrighted music without permission," said Vincent Candilora,
ASCAP Senior Vice President of Licensing. "ASCAP's priority is to serve as
a voice and advocate for its more than 315,000 members who are essentially
the smallest of small business owners. ASCAP not only has a right to
collect license fees from the users of music, but it also has a
responsibility to its members to ensure they are adequately compensated for
their hard work."
Any business using copyrighted music has the opportunity to obtain
permission to do so lawfully, through acceptance of a license covering the
use of the more than 8.5 million copyrighted songs and compositions in the
ASCAP repertory. Nearly 90% of the license fees ASCAP collects are paid as
royalties directly to songwriters, composers and music publishers. The
balance covers ASCAP's operating costs, which are the lowest of any
performing rights organization in the world.
"Using music is a vital part of the total service that businesses offer,
both in attracting customers and driving more revenue," continued
Candilora. "By accepting an ASCAP license, business owners can legally use
music in ASCAP's popular and ever-increasing repertory."
Frequently Asked Questions about licensing can be found on ASCAP's website
at http://www.ascap.com/licensing/licensingfaq.html
The establishments listed below have performed publicly the copyrighted
musical works of ASCAP's songwriter, composer and music publisher members
without receiving their permission to do so, resulting in lost income for
these music creators.