[tdadams]

Have you read this thread or did you just stumble onto a few posts and decided to add your two cents? This has been convered already.

The value of your painting, car, etc. are built into the sale price. The value of music to a business (hundreds? thousands?) is not built into the price of a song (about $1.70 at retail). The value is paid for on the installment plan called a performance license. That's hardly extortion.

The newspaper makes it's money from advertising, so the more eyes that see it, the better the paper does. I'm sure they'd be happy if you wanted to pass it around as much as possible.

As I said earlier on this thread, if you want to pay the full value of a song up front in a lump sum, there are many songwriters who would no doubt like to hear from you.

[gitmo]

The value of your painting, car, etc. are built into the sale price. The value of music to a business (hundreds? thousands?) is not built into the price of a song (about $1.70 at retail). The value is paid for on the installment plan called a performance license. That's hardly extortion So when a musician makes millions off a 3 minute song, the value is not paid to the performer. Ridiculous. The cost of making the individual car is preportional to the retail cost. The cost of making the individual CD is pennies. The cost covers the value. If it did not, they would charge more. Value is determined by the price individuals are willing to pay. We call that the free market. And I did read the thread, but your assertions are illogical.

[eno_]

I did invite people to look for themselves. But just so they know your complaints are baseless:

ASCAP+racket 214 results

ASCAP+mafia 462 results

ASCAP+racketeering 85 results

ASCAP+antitrust about 1300 results

ASCAP+goons 406 results

ASCAP+extortion 171 results

ASCAP+payola 488 results

Now, tdadams might be right and ALL these Web hits might be love notes to ASCAP about how they help fight corruption and racketerring in the music industry.

Google away: you can be completely certain there will be no lack of material to read. And make up your own mind about ASCAP.