The
New York Post got a partial list of the "infringing songs" played by Hiro Ballroom and Fusion 215, the two New York-area bars that are being
sued by ASCAP for copyright infringement. On that list? "When I See You Smile" by "either Bad English or Clay Aiken." This really isn't helping us not think that ASCAP—who, by the way, wrote us a very nice note that pretty much read like their "about" page—is selecting its lawsuit targets based on the absolute sub-bad-wedding crapitude of their DJs. [
NYP]
That ASCAP copyright-infringement lawsuit against the
Tommy Page-playing bar in Arizona? The
Tucson Citizen has amended its story, and ASCAP is actually seeking
$210,000, not $210 million. Damn zeroes! Still, we bet that Hiro's
$10 Jack-and-Cokes will inspire ASCAP to inflate the judgment it's seeking from the NYC blog-rock den accordingly. [
Tucson Citizen]
Performance-royalty mafia ASCAP has sued a Tucson, Ariz., bar for
$210 million $210,000 on behalf of companies representing, ahem, "Huey Lewis & the News, Paula Abdul, Color Me Badd, Taylor Dayne, Aretha Franklin, Atlantic Starr, Dave Koz, Tommy Page, Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Chris Isaak and Janet Jackson." Details of the lawsuit were unavailable, but it's a good guess that the bar's owner didn't pony up for the privilege of putting
Totally '80s Vol. 3 on the bar's sound system. [
Tucson Citizen]
Idolator
Yesterday, a judge ruled that RealNetworks, AOL, and Yahoo! had to pay the American Society of Composers, Arrangers, and Performer 2.5% of "adjusted music-use revenue" between 2002 and 2009. That's half a percentage point higher than what terrestrial radio stations have to pay to the organization, a decision that U.S. District Judge William C. Conner came to because online radio generally plays more songs per hour than its over-the-air The three companies—who had proposed rates ranging from .9% (for music videos) to 2.5% (for on-demand audio)—could owe as much as $100 million to ASCAP as the result of the decision, and needless to say, they are not very pleased.
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