[Publib] RE: Background music

[Baldock, Kirsten]

In addition to taking into consideration the concerns about the noise issue,
you might also want to look into the legal issues of broadcasting music.

According to SESAC, a performing rights organization in the US:

"Under the Copyright Law of the United States, anyone who plays copyrighted
music in a public establishment is required to obtain advanced permission
from the copyright owner or their representative. Simply, a copyrighted song
is property and no one can use this property in a public performance without
permission of the owner."

http://www.sesac.com/pdf/Restclubstaverns.pdf

I know this is the reason that you hear a lot of cover songs at big chain
restaurants, but I'm not sure what it means exactly for libraries.

Kirsten
Oakland Public Library