Actually I paid ASCAP each year. They let me have a minimum fee because I told them I was the only entertainment, and I just played when we had a big crowd and sometimes not at all.
No problems with them.
BMI was another story. They were downright nasty in attitude, and I never paid them a cent, even though they threatened lawsuits.
They never sent a rep as ASCAP did, they just kept phoning and making demands, even though they had no idea what music I had or was doing.
It is a necessary cost of doing business, but you can negotiate. It is the venue's responsibility, not the entertainer's.
DonM