Quote:
if you are a mobile jock it really depends on if it's a well known wedding hall or otherwise that is paying licensing. If not you are responsible to at least be using a legit pool or you're on the hook.
I know this thread is a year old, but I wanted to clarify the above statement.
In the U.S., if you aren't charging admission to an event, and it isn't open to the "general public," it's considered a "private" event and not subject to BMI/ASCAP licensing requirements -- i.e. pretty much every wedding.
If a wedding venue wanted to hold a "bridal show," for example, and charge vendors and attendees, and they had a DJ spinning copyrighted music, that's different. But private weddings and parties - no licensing needed.
The second part of the statement doesn't make sense. A DJ's responsibility to obtain music from a legit source or to purchase it legally doesn't depend on a venue's licensing whatsoever.
Not trying to be a pain in the ass, but when I was starting as a wedding DJ, it was threads like this that had me confused until I finally spoke to industry people that knew what they were talking about. For anyone that wants to check, there are FAQs on BMI and ASCAP's sites discussing licensing as well. (I don't know about rules outside the U.S.)
