[Riverman94610]

Help me out here.
Lets say a couple of friends of mine decide we want to get a few low paying gigs serenading seniors at convalescent homes or whatever.Just for fun and to make some folks happy.
Are you saying we have to pay ASCAP a fee for our very amatuerish versions of So This Is Love and One Summer Night?
Thats twisted to me.

[zook]

I believe that's right. But of course this regulation is routinely ignored and, to some extent, for good reason. I think a good moral argument can be made that low-paid amateur musicians should be considered free to play music that others have written. I mean, that is the way music was traditionally spread and handed down from generation to generation. Without such an ethic, we'd have no Barbara Allen, no Greensleeves, etc.

On the other hand, it seems unethical to make a pile of dough off of someone else's creation.

[HIDEK6]

If someone hires you, that party is responsible for having the license. The only time a band might need a license would be if they were to rent a venue, hire a caterer and sell tickets to a concert.

I don't know what ASCAP's policy is toward nursing homes. But most nursing homes are profit-making operations. They attract residents by emphasizing amenities, one of which is regular entertainment.

I don't see why they should be any different than any other commercial enterprise.