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Article: Digital music devices and music licensing.(government watch)
- Article from:
- Club Management
- Article date:
- February 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Club Managers Association of America. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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With the prevalence of digital music devices such as Apple iPods, many clubs have been approached by members who want to utilize these devices at private functions instead of live music or disc jockeys. How does this performance medium intersect with music licensing? Public performances of music in a club, regardless of the source, makes your facility subject to compliance with federal copyright laws.
According to Tom Annastas, BMI vice president, general licensing, "Playing music from iPods in a business or other public places requires the permission of the songwriters, regardless of who owns the playback device. From a copyright perspective, playing music and ...