ASCAP Is Run by Morons

[bjarvis]

I just had the most annoying telephone conversation with ASCAP, one of the major music licensing firms in the US.

I had been in touch with them previously for our upcoming IAGSDC convention being held in April of this year to secure licensing for the music which would be used by the square dance callers. (I've also done this with BMI without any of this drama...)

Because I contacted them well before the convention, they are requiring us to file catch-up quarterly reports with them to confirm that we did indeed not have our convention in any of the quarters leading up to this coming April. WTF?!

Indeed, since their licenses are exclusively annual in nature, even if I contacted them on the eve of our convention, I'd still need to file quarterly reports for the three following calendar quarters after the convention, confirming we had no convention in those quarters.

ASCAP, apparently, has no understanding or mechanism of dealing with one-time events.

Morons.

Comments

[jss]

"Here are your reports. Thank you for making us jump through unnecessary hoops. I look forward to moving our business to your competitors." And just use BMI from now on.

[paigemom.livejournal.com]

Duuude. That's nuts.

[trawnapanda.livejournal.com]

could you file all four quarterly reports at the same time? post-date them, with a one-line comment: "this was a one-time event, on [date]. No further music was played".

at least save yourself three stamps

[abqdan.livejournal.com]

These systems partly explain why people don't bother. You're trying to do the RIGHT thing. People who do the right thing are usually punished for it.