Music Industry Sues Restaurant over Music! Print
Wednesday, 29 October 2014 10:52

 Gothamist.com -Unless it's blasting out your ear drums, music at restaurants usually fades into the background noise of clattering plates and sauced patrons' boisterous laughs. Even so, a group representing license holders for the music industry wants restaurants to pony up cash to play music at their establishments and they're suing to make it happen. Nine restaurants on Long Island are facing lawsuits from ASCAP, which represents 500,000 musicians and publishers, reports Newsday. You can't play Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby" without throwing money to the song's writers.

According to the lawsuits, the restaurants were observed playing copyrighted material without obtaining the proper licenses to do so. Federal law states that any commercial establishment wanting to play copyrighted music in any form must first obtain the correct license that would pay out royalties to whomever deserves them. In the case of Digger's, The Homestead, BobbiQue and six other Long Island eateries, this didn't happen, despite numerous reminders from organizations representing the musicians. Eightyearsworth of reminders. Continue