I recently read of a story about a local restaurant in trouble with the RIAA for having DJs play copyrighted music without permission. I believe that they were charging for admission. I own a retail store and was wondering if I am allowed to pipe music outside and also play it inside (music I have bought from iTunes or own on CD). Is the issue just that you cannot play the music without paying for rights if you are charging admission?
Asked on 8/04/09, 8:40 pm
1 Answer from Attorneys
Sarah Grosse
Sarah Grosse, Esquire
The issue is the public performance of copyrighted music. This requires permission from the copyright owner in the form of a license. Please see www.ascap.com for further information on how to obtain the proper license.
Answered on 8/10/09, 9:19 am
