12
Thursday, December 1, 1977
University Daily Kansan
New copyright law to have financial impact on KU
Staff Writer
By DICK DODSON
A new music copyright law, effective in January 1978, will have a financial impact on universities throughout the nation, innopublicly. In Kansas, an SUA spokesman said recently.
The new law will transfer responsibility for obtaining licenses and paying royalties for live musical performances from the university universities or promoting them.
This would include anything from fraternity dances to halftime shows at ballgames but would not include student or recitals, for which admission is not charged.
According to John Vicidomine, the program adviser of SUA, the new law probably would cost universities $7,000 to $8,000 apiece each year. He said he thought universities probably would be charged a lump sum each year.
James Mooser, dew of the School of Fine
Saint, said the new law would place
reasonable restrictions on students.
EACH GROUP will be required to pay resulting from music events it sponsored.
"It will involve all you," he said, "from the Kansas union to fraternities and even to students."
The new act eliminates former exemptions from royalty payments in three cases:
- If there is any kind of direct or indirect admission charge involved.
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commercials will be on the screens in 5,800 of the country's 16,000 theaters.
The second largest chain of theaters in the United States is a Kansas City-based company, American Multi-Cinemia. According to the company's Midwestern division film buyer, Ed Durwood, the theater commercials are being tested in AMC theaters in Toledo, Ohio, and Lansing, Mich.
"SO FAR, customer reaction has been mostly negative, substantially negative," he said. "Because we only get a nominal response to our reactions we'll be very sensitive to their reactions."
If negative reactions continue, Durwool said, his company's first concern will be with the customer—and the commercials would end.
"We would take them off," he said,
"certainly."
One group not involved in the trend, but still vitally interested, consists of movie producers and distributors. They will derive no revenue from the commercials, but if they are unable to secure a decline in theater attendance, the movie companies stand to lose revenue.
Steiller, Miller, branch manager for the Kansas City office of Universal Pictures, said that he could not comment until his company had studied the situation.
"ITS JUST something between the bead
the ad.
There's nothing we can do about it,
he said.
Other film company personnel were more outspoken against the commercials. Charles Jarrett, Kansas City booker for 20th-Century Fox, was asked whether the trend to commercials in theaters would be objectionable to his company.
"It would," he said. "To the film companies it would.
"On roadshows, for example, we have in our contract that exhibitions are not restricted to attractions."
"People go to the movies to avoid commercials. Nothing would irritate people more to go to a movie and be forced to see a commercial, especially if they paid for it.
"OF COURSE, it's not much we can do about it."
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- If the performers or group is paid either directly or indirectly for expenses.
- If there is any direct or indirect request, be prepared, for example, selling posters of T-shirts.
In the past, the legal copyright law has been the 1989 Copyright Act, which stated that those who pay or sponsor music for their performances to composers for the songs they performed.
Recorded music currently provides a major source of income for composers, Gary English, executive director of the Music and Campus Activities Association, said.
ROYALTIES usually were paid to three copyright agencies that would handle the fees for the composers. The three agencies were the American Society of Composers, Authors and Composers, the Music Music, and the Society of European Stage Artists and Composers.
The old law exempted from royalties those who did not perform or sponsor events for profit. Universities were considered nonprofit organizations and were included among those who were exempt from paying the fees.
After 20 years of effort, the three copyright agencies persuaded them to become makers were making
But Vicdoline said universities could not be thought of as profit-making bodies because they put back all revenue made in performances into future student activities.
profits from concerts and other musical performances and should not always be given priority.
"The copyright agencies feel that with the situation universities are in today, that they are able to pay for musical performances," be said.
HE SAID performances at universities today involved and attracted audiences from outside the school itself. Under the new law, universities still were considered
nonprofit, but provisions were made so that not all of the nonprofit organizations affiliated with the university were exempted from paving the roavities.
Religious ceremonies and other nonprofit programs still would be exempt from the rules.
The new act provides three cases for exemptions:
- If there is a performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the course of training, we may send it to the appropriate department.
- If there is a performance of a non-dramatic literary or musical work or a dramatical-musical work of a religious nature.
Vidicomma said, "This new act has thrown out the window the possibility of any school not paying any royalties. University students in places like the Free State Opera House."
- IF THEY is a performance of a non-dramatic literary or musical work that is held without any direct or indirect connection to the artist, the former or group is not paid for his expenses.
Victimine said the extra money could be raised by universities in one of two ways.
The first way could be by raising student activity fees slightly—maybe 10 cents, he said, or by having the university's budget take into account the funds for the royalties.
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