One of the listserves that I belong to have had a running discussion about BMI. I thought I would seek the wisdom of this group to see if others have had this problem and how you dealt with it.
For many of us who play bluegrass, we meet in grange halls and other assorted venues where music is the only business at hand. Not coffee shops or bars or restaurants. Admission is not being charged, but perhaps a collection jar may be placed to offset the hall rental. It has come to my attention that some grange halls in the Northwest (Oregon) have recently been told rather directly that they will have to buy a BMI license even though it's a jam session and admission is not being charged. This of course means shutting down the jam as the price quoted was $700 something a year. I know this fee can be negotiated, but is it standard practice for BMI to go after jam sessions? I'd appreciate any intelligent responces. Thanks, Ken Cartwright
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