"BMI usually tell venues that they need to pay anyway, just in case someone plays a single covered riff."
Under the law, this is "Prior Restraint" and is illegal. You cannot be compelled to pay a license fee because you *might*--at some fuzzy point in the future--use copyrighted material.
Reminds me of Al Capone's "protection" racket. I agree that prosecution of ASCAP and BMI under the RICO Act seems appropriate.
Look at the Guilty-On-Accusation law the RIAA and others pushed through the New Zealand Parliament:
http://amccright.blogspot.com/2009/02/guilt-on-accusation-draconian-internet.html
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Extortion
"BMI usually tell venues that they need to pay anyway, just in case someone plays a single covered riff."
Under the law, this is "Prior Restraint" and is illegal. You cannot be compelled to pay a license fee because you *might*--at some fuzzy point in the future--use copyrighted material.
Reminds me of Al Capone's "protection" racket. I agree that prosecution of ASCAP and BMI under the RICO Act seems appropriate.
RIAA shuts down New Zealand internet users
Look at the Guilty-On-Accusation law the RIAA and others pushed through the New Zealand Parliament:
http://amccright.blogspot.com/2009/02/guilt-on-accusation-draconian-internet.html