[asterisk-users] Royalty for On Hold Music ?

[Stephen Bosch]

John Novack wrote:
> 
> Stephen Bosch wrote:
>> Well, this is approaching the absurd.
>>
>> Do you know how many Meridian systems have radios plugged into them for "on-hold" background sound? Nobody pays royalties on those.
>>   
> IF they are discovered by ASCAP and receive a letter demanding payment 
> they will. Not absurd at all.
> Simply because many do it in ignorance doesn't make it legal
> ASCAP goes on campaigns on a regular basis. Home residential users are 
> probably safe though not legal. Business users have a greater visibility 
> though
> There are all sorts of royalty free music sources  available. No excuse 
> not to use it.
> Or simply pay the yearly fee to ASCAP ( in the US )

The fact that ASCAP goes on "campaigns" doesn't make it any less absurd
(or, for that matter, any more likely that the average business is going
to be taken to task); the reality is that thousands upon thousands of
interconnects install PBX systems with radio ports on them that are
plugged into cheap transistor radios bought at Wal-Mart and similar
places, and nobody -- not the client, nor the interconnect -- has any
clue about any royalty obligations that entails. People do it, think
nothing of it (not least because the PBX vendors promote it as a
feature!) and I think neither ASCAP nor any other royalty agency has the
necessary resources to make even a dent in this kind of use.

It's one thing if you're Dell or Microsoft and you are using music for
your call centre, and another if you're the neighbourhood dental practice.

I'd be interested in getting in touch with any small businesses which
have been given a "cease and desist" letter or demand for payment
because they piped radio into their phone systems.

-Stephen-