Katherine, This topic has come up often on Museum-L over the past several years. I think many museums, especially small and medium ones, are jolted when they receive the letters from BMI and ASCAP, threatening legal action if they don't pay yearly licensing fees to those PRO's (Performing Rights Organizations). From the responses in the past, and in talking with colleagues, there are reactions that range from, "we're non-profit", "fair-use covers us" to, "we're only playing CD's". So there are misunderstandings of the copyright law and licensing and how it applies to museums and non-profits. There are also misunderstandings about the PRO's and how those letters are sent to basically shake down small organizations for yearly fees. In addition to my work in conservation and with museums I have also been involved with the songwriting community here in Los Angeles for years (I was the Executive Director of Songsalive! for 4 years). Many small coffee shops and restaurants also receive those same form letters from BMI and ASCAP and many have shut down live music as a result. I develop and teach online courses for museum professionals, mostly in conservation, but have a new course starting on Sept. 21st. on, "Copyright and Intellectual Property 101 for Museums" from the knowledge and sources I have acquired on it over the years. So for your program it would be very helpful to explain the basics of copyright, how it applies to using music, recorded or live, in museums, and how to handle those nasty letters that come in the mail. Cheers! Dave David Harvey Senior Conservator & Museum Consultant Los Angeles CA USA www.cityofangelsconservation.weebly.com On Wed, Aug 26, 2015 at 7:04 AM, Katherine Lewis <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi Listmates, > > The Museum and Arts Law Committee of the American Bar Association is > working to put together a program on music licensing in museums with case > studies and I wonder if anyone has any specific examples of issues they've > encountered in this area they'd be willing to share? Or questions that have > come up you might want answered in a program like this? > > Thanks! > > Katherine Lewis > Chair > Museum and Arts Law Committee > Science & Technology Section > American Bar Association > > > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the MUSEUM-L list, click the following link: > http://home.ease.lsoft.com/scripts/wa-HOME.exe?SUBED1=MUSEUM-L&A=1 > ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).