I was on the phone with ASCAP in Nashville several times, first to
find out how they - in Nashville, within a week of my starting the
gig, found out that I was playing a little pizzaria/restaurant in a
little town outside of Philadelphia (their method is top secret). I
tried to expalain that I would be playing mostly folk tunes that have
long been in the public domain. They wouldn't hear of it, and they
harrassed the restaurant owners several times a week - If there is
live and/or recorded (e.g. CD's) music - somebody pays a fee. Piped
in radio music is okay since the stations pay the fees as per the
playlists.
Ciao,
Jerry