"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Musashi again"
I am somewhat ashamed of my affiliation with BMI. As a published performer and composer it has been necessary for me, but such organizations are often no more than thugs, behaving like some kind of mob protection racket towards small businesses.
Basically I'm seeing numerous instances of creative expression and interaction being smothered at the local level because of the ridiculous structure and hierarchy that is faced when, for instance, the local coffee shop would be happy to let a couple of local musicians get together and jam informally. But as we know, even playing the radio without license is a violation. Even very little Christmas music meets the absurd standards of public domain, as you no doubt are aware.
Just last year a small new pub in town decided to host an occasional open mic night for songwriters, whether pro or amateur. During the short period of time that this developed, an unprecedented amount of interaction took place, nurturing rich relationships both socially and creatively. The impact was noticeable among not only the musical community, but also among the listeners. Yes, the bar could have started paying fees, but in the early stages such a business isn't even in the black yet, and typically gives up on live performance once they realize the challenge.
Copyright "enforcers" are ostensibly protecting some type of rightful wealth, but who in the fuck really is being protected apart from an extremely small segment of the recording industry that tends already to enjoy other benefits of wide exposure. I'm sure that the performing rights industry would argue that the fees they demand are a reasonable investment that can yield a big reward, but in reality I am confident that the true effect of this system is an artistically repressed nation, just as I have seen for years locally.
