Lights are flashing, the aroma of the gourmet food gently sweeps through the venue, everything is going as planned for your big event. Until you notice from the corner of your eye that no one is dancing, they’re all just standing there.
Suddenly it all makes sense and hits you like a swirling tornado, there’s no music! Music can instantly make any event go from a fun way to spend a few hours to reassuring everyone that your company is the place to be because you work hard but play even harder.
Unfortunately, this nightmare might soon become reality for many conventions, events or parties. What happens when the two top enforcers in the game join forces? They create an unstoppable force of justice intent on ensuring that everyone’s rights are protected. That is exactly what is going to happen in the music industry come the end of 2018 when ASCAP and BMI collaborate to create a universal song database. This would ensure that they cover every artist who is seeking protection for their intellectual property being their music. Through the combined efforts of these two companies, whenever an event, convention or party for a public setting is being planned, royalties must be paid. These are to guarantee that the artist is receiving some compensation for having their music played so that their work doesn’t go in vein.
The goal behind this is not only to protect the artists but to have a more interactive and user-friendly database for all of the music listeners out there. Despite being fierce competitors, The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) have decided that working together on this particular database was in the best interest for everyone. 
It is the responsibility of the host organization to ensure that the royalties are paid or an agreement with ASCAP and BMI has been made prior to the event. This will make sure that the music aspect will run smoothly and all the guests can show off their dance moves.
So for your next event, once you’ve ensured that everything is legally in order with ASCAP and BMI, contact us. Here at Exhilarate Events & Marketing, we’ll take care of the rest .