Copyright and Public Performance of Music

There have been many notable descriptions of music but perhaps one of the most apt from the viewpoint of law and commerce was Ian Hay's statement, "Music is about the most vulnerable piece of property that a man can bring into the world, especially today. " With the increased use of music brought about by technological advances, such as radio, sound films and tele vision, and the concomitant decrease in the sale of sheet music and phonograph records, the need for writers and publishers of music to share in the revenue from public performances became urgent. With this urgency the author's rights in the public per formance of his music became the subject of much literature and litigation which continues to this day. The purpose of this book is to present a clear picture of this much written and litigated about subject: the au'thor's right in the public performance of his music. In order to do this we must indicate not only the nature of the right but also how it is exer cised for it should be evident that with performances taking place throughout the world and in a multitude of ways, the exercise of the right by an individual author or publisher would present insurmountable problems.

I United States. - I. American Copyright and Common Law. - II. Public Performance of Music in the United States. - II. Britain, Netherlands, France. - III. European Copyright. - IV. Public Performance of Music in Europe. - Conclusion. - Conclusion. - Appendices. - A. ASCAP Domestic Consent Decree. - B. ASCAP Foreign Consent Decree. - C. ASCAP Membership Contract. - D. ASCAP Royalty Distribution. - E. BMI Consent Decree. - F. BMI Contract for Publishers. - G. BMI Contract for Writers. - H. BMI Publishing Department Contract. - Table of Statutes and Conventions Cited. - Table of Cases Cited. - Table of Works Cited.