ASCAP (American Society for Composers, Authors and Publishers) ASCAP's War on Content Creators July 25, 2010 -- I'm an ASCAP member. Last week, in one of their regular e-mails, came some ridiculous drivel from Paul Williams, as he promotes a fight against Creative Commons, EFF, Public Knowledge and anyone else opposed to the current copyright regime. (More...) ASCAP Ignores History, Reality and Their Members July 9, 2010 — From their own "About Us" page, ASCAP makes the following claim: ASCAP is a membership association of more than 380,000 U.S. composers, songwriters, lyricists, and music publishers of every kind of music. For several years now, ASCAP has been pushing a Bill of Rights for Songwriters and Composers that is based upon the questionable "You're stealing our stuff" logic. According to their latest e-mail, they have a total of 12,000 people who have signed on to this. A whole 3 percent of their membership. Despite the decided lack of interest in their "Bill of Rights," ASCAP is now attacking what many artists (including songwriters, composers and publishers) have embraced for years -- Creative Commons licensing. There is a June 24 article at zeropaid.com titled "ASCAP Declares War on Free Culture," wherein details of a letter sent to ASCAP members (although I'm an ASCAP member, both as publisher and songwriter, and never received one) asking them to fund a fight against Creative Commons, EFF, Public Knowledge and everyone else who realizes that "the way things are" has changed drastically in the last 10 years. The article is well worth reading if you haven't seen it yet. Since the only entity which can adopt a Creative Commons license for a work is the copyright owner themself, this seems like a fight that ASCAP cannot win, no matter how much money they collect from imbeciles who can't comprehend the simple truth of the situation. We have choices now. ASCAP or BMI work registration is a choice. So is Creative Commons. ASCAP has as much chance of suing Creative Commons, EFF and Public Knowledge out of existence as they would trying to do the same to BMI. It just ain't gonna happen. Of course, ASCAP is the organization that spent 17 years trying to sue radio out of existence for playing their music. That fight didn't end because ASCAP wised up. It ended when the radio broadcasters gave ASCAP exactly what it asked for, formed BMI and stopped playing ASCAP music completely. Good thing, too, since ASCAP viewed jazz, blues, country, western, folk and a number of other genres as not worthy of being published. If not for BMI, rock and roll might have been stillborn. ASCAP says that radio stopped playing their music due to a boycott on ASCAP's part, but 17 years of legal assault hadn't worked, so the idea that a boycott did is laughable. As is their current activity. ASCAP doesn't have a fucking clue, has forgotten how much money they wasted trying to stop radio in the 1920s and 1930s, and is still following the 90-year old playbook that made them big losers in 1940. On top of that, it's own members don't seem too damn thrilled about these ignorant ideas. What needs to be remembered is that the biggest publishers are the RIAA record labels' publishing arms. That's who is calling the shots here. So the four major labels and 11,996 other ASCAP members seem to think this is a good idea. The other 368,000 of us don't seem to count. I'm not a BMI member, so I don't know where they stand on this mindless activity. Then again, I haven't heard them pointing out how butt-stupid it all is. It is said that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. ASCAP and BMI should know this history because they are the ones who made it happen. It's their history. In this case, ignorance is no excuse. Each day that passes brings us closer to the time when history repeats itself and a Performing Rights Organization (PRO) which embraces the Internet comes along and gives the stupid fucks at the RIAA and ASCAP exactly what they are asking for. I've been trying to tell P2P users for years that this is the best and most efficient way to stop this insanity -- instead of sharing RIAA music, erase it from the Internet and support those acts, songwriter, and publishers who are actively trying to have their music heard instead of harboring a desire to punish those who would be their audience. I didn't think the current scenario would have to go the full 17 years before someone came along and made 1940 happen again. But there are no signs that it will happen any faster this time around. Might even take longer. However, I do have faith that eventually musicians' love of (and passion for) music will outweigh the love of money on which the industry is currently based. The United States used to have a Music business; now it's the music Business. Lawyers and investment brokers are running things today; musicians used to be in charge. That's why today's music sucks. The lawyers and accountants couldn't recognize a new, exciting breakthrough in music if it crawled up their leg, nested in their asshole and was chewing on their balls 24 hours a day. We've got to get those morons out and get the musicians back in control. Maybe all four major labels will have to go under for this to happen. EMI barely escaped being taken over by CitiGroup in June and the actions of Terra Firma, the current owners, didn't solve EMI's problem, it just put off the ultimate outcome a little longer. EMI is going to be the first one to go. And I'll cheer when it happens. We'll be one step closer to the rebirth of music in America. It can't happen a moment too soon. October 2006 -- ASCAP Destroys Restaurant ASCAP Joins RIAA Anti-Consumer Stance March 22, 2003 -- Dear ASCAP... I am appalled to discover that ASCAP has taken the position of characterizing the audience we are trying to reach as "a very powerful majority that sees nothing wrong with using our music without paying for it."