>One thing about Hoiby that bothers me -- his "Bon Appetit" score says that >you must obtain permission before performing it. I wanted to sing it on a >"food"-themed program, but I certainly didn't want to pay to do so.
This isn't exactly accurate. The song is in the ASCAP catalogue, which means you can perform it if you pay the ASCAP fee. You don't need to write for permission. You just need to ask ASCAP for a license, which is granted not per song but per performance - one performance could include a dozen ASCAP songs, and it wouldn't cost you any more than performing just one ASCAP song - great if you're going to do a whole concert of modern music. Depending on the size of the venue and the price of the ticket, your ASCAP licence fee could be as little as $15 (e.g., a 300-seat church, no ticket price). The only thing ASCAP asks you to do - and they aren't at all persistent about it - is to fill in a roster once a month listing performances you've given that included ASCAP-licensed material, so you can pay your fees. You're supposed to fill in forms even in months when you don't perform any ASCAP music, but I'll be honest - I've only filled them in (and paid the appropriate royalties) when I have actually had ASCAP music performances, and ignored the rest. No-one seems to get on my case about this.
Karen Mercedes
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