Last night my friend sent me this article from Florida. I can confirm this, from speaking to venue owners out in San Diego and locally here in Massachusetts. ASCAP, in particular, for at least the past five years, has enjoyed hassling small businesses who present music, many of which can barely make ends meet. I've had restaurant owners say they wouldn't hire me unless I played all original music. And as the article points out, no one really believes the actual songwriters who a duo in a cafe covers gets a penny of the money.

The second article, which I came across this morning, provided a kind of gleeful antidote to the other story. I don't really like that a guy like this profits off of recording live music illegally. But there is some deep sense that the music needs to break free of the bonds placed by BIZNESS. Read Confessions of a Bootlegger, from my old San Diego stomps, no less. Very amusing in places.