[asterisk-users] Royalty for On Hold Music ?

[John Millican]

On Tuesday July 31 2007 4:44 pm, Joe acquisto wrote:
> . . .
>
> > Even if you can find non-original-artist recordings of such music, the
> > *compositions* are registered with BMI and ASCAP, and you'll need
> > blanket licenses to play them.  (Well, if you only wanted one or two
> > tracks, you might negotiate specific licenses, but I'm not sure it
> > would be cheaper.)
> >
> > Cheers,
> > -- jra
>
> So, if, for instance, someone were to "pipe in" some broadcast stations,
> for MOH, that would be a copyright violation?
>
> Not that I know how to do that, with *, off the top of my head.
>
> joe a
>
IANAL or even close to one.  Just grabbing the music form a broadcast station 
and rebroadcasting is technically illegal, at least in the US.  What I have 
been told is that you would first have to check with the broadcast station, 
sign an agreement with them, and depending on the scope of their coverage, as 
in geographic, you might be able to use their station.  It is my 
understanding that radio stations pay a license fee based on the 
coverage/market area. You may have to pay them the difference between what 
they pay for the coverage of the station and the global coverage that a PBX 
could potentially have. 
As a side note there have been several examples posted in the past of how to 
"pipe in" a music source.

JohnM