Karaoke Forums

Definitely interesting. In these times there are a lot of small places that have begun using karaoke and have tried to avoid paying fees like ASCAP and BMI. For those hanging by a thread, the bill means an end to karaoke. I've watched it happen to a couple of small local concerns.

Thread is right! You can probably get a license for maybe $300 if you have a small joint so for ASCAP and BMI we're talking what -- $2 a day? If that's the difference between profit and failure you might as well close up anyway.

2 years ago I was working steady at a small bar. The manager called me and another DJ in for a meeting to tell us the owners were reducing our pay $25 per night to pay for ASCAP BMI fees as they were targeted to pay.

I think depending on how they calulate those fees it can be way more than $2 per day


YES in many cases paying those fees are killers for entertainment like Karaoke

No, you can't get it for $300 or $600 for both. The least I have seen is about $1200 combined, for once-a-week karaoke at a small bar that doesn't do other music. Other numbers I have seen are $4850 (two live music, two karaoke in a medium-sized bar) and $2200 (two karaoke in a small bar).

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I'd have to agree with you mcky -- it can get pretty expensive for some places that have Karaoke a coupple times a week plus DJ. !!

...particularly if it is pay upon receipt. Somehow I don't think they'd do a payment plan.

I have to disagree, I know the owners of a local small place that has Karaoke "in house system" on Friday night and he just got hit with a bill (just before Christmas) after being in business for a little over 10 years. The rate they were being charged was $400 per year. He showed me the letter and the bill from ASCAP. He asked me what he should do and my response was "contact your lawyer". Of course his attitude was "this is a scam" and I refused to discuss it with him. His place only holds about 50 -60 people.

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No venue to big or too small. From your den to the local club or event, we have the music most requested. Great sounding system!

mckyj, even at $4800/yr, that's less than $100/week or $25/show and if you have that much entertainment then you're most likely getting the crowds in to pay for it. If not, then the bar should be cutting down on the entertainment.

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You can be strange but not a stranger

$400 a year for the past 10 years, I can see. Try and get that rate for this year and see what happens....

Of course I really don't know, and it is frustrating with those guys because they will not publish a price schedule.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Things have probably changed some since I priced BMI licensing for a venue about 4 years ago, but the small bar (capacity maybe 60 people) that I priced a BMI license for would have run about $300 per year at the time from the schedule which was up on the BMI website at the time.

This venue did not have a dance floor, did not have any other live entertainment, had it's rented juke boxes licensed by the juke box owners and was only running karaoke every other weekend. Not that atypical a situation for a really small mom and pop venue.

It appears to me that ASCAP does have some sort of interactive schedule set up, but after a quick glance there I have to admit I found their language pretty confusing and a lot less than customer friendly.

Another poster here has mentioned a small bar having a fee of $400 which is still just over $1 a day, so my figure isn't all that far out of date.

Even if the fees were $1200 a year we're still talking about $4 a day. Can't pay that? You still might as well shut your doors.

In Malaysia: 2 tariffs need to be paid: MACP ( Rep of song writers) and Public Performance (Malaysia) or PPM whivh rep the recording labels.

THE MACP TARIFFS

(effective 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 subject to yearly increase / decrease in accordance with the Consumer Price Index)

1) Karaokes Lounges, Discotheques, Nightclubs and other multi-entertainment outlets

Featured Music
First 50 persons RM2,408.35

Each additional person RM42.15


Live and Featured Music
First 50 persons RM3,612.50


Each additional person RM54.19


TV Monitor
First unit RM 361.25

Each additional unit RM180.62

All karaoke bars/lounges are full time in malayisa

I am not too sure about the license cost from PPM.

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I can neither confirm nor deny ever having or knowing anything about nothing.... mrscott