BMI AND INTERNATIONAL MUNICIPAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION SIMPLIFY MUSIC LICENSING FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

 Working on behalf of its members and all local governments, the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) and BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.) have made music licensing for local governments easier and faster with BMI's web-based, digital licensing application.

 The licensing process can be completed in minutes on BMI's web page for local governments at www.bmi.com/lge. IMLA members will receive a 10% discount from BMI on their music license. BMI represents more than half the music played in America, from approximately 375,000 songwriters and composers.

 "IMLA reached an agreement with BMI more than seven years ago which created a comprehensive music license for local governments," said IMLA Executive Director/General Counsel Charles Thompson. "A partnership was formed in which IMLA agreed to educate its members about their legal responsibility under copyright law to the creators of music, and our members would receive better rates when securing copyright clearance for the music they use."

 Municipal governments use music in many ways, including festivals, park concerts, arts & craft fairs, parades, celebrations, fireworks, carnivals, swimming pools, community center dances, aerobic classes. The agreement which IMLA negotiated with BMI provides a simple, blanket license that provides coverage for almost all non-dramatic performances presented on government owned property and at functions and events hosted by the government.

 This copyright clearance, which is a requirement under U.S. Copyright law, saves the local government the time and expense of securing permission directly from each copyright owner each time music is used by various public entities within the community, such as community centers, museums, libraries or special events. The basic fee under the IMLA/BMI agreement, covering most music uses of local governments, is based on U.S. Census population figures. "The agreement is mutually beneficial to local governments and copyright owners alike," said Tom Annastas, BMI Vice President, General Licensing. "It consolidates most of the music licensing needs of local governments into one contract, while providing a discount for IMLA members. Songwriters can be assured through this agreement that they will be compensated when their music is performed in activities of these organizations."

 BMI, founded in 1939 as a performing right organization, operates under the U.S. Copyright Law, which recognizes musical compositions as intellectual property similar to newspaper articles, books, movies, television shows, photographs, artwork, sports broadcasts and computer software programs. Copyrighted music cannot be performed in public without the permission of the copyright owner. A "public performance" is defined as music played by almost any means including CDs, cassettes, records, videos, live musicians, telephone music-on-hold, jukeboxes, and radio or television music played over a commercial system. BMI represents copyright owners in all genres of music and, through its music performance agreements, grants business legal access to its repertoire of more than 6.5 million musical works.

 The International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA) is a non-profit, professional organization that has been an advocate and resource for local government attorneys since 1935. Owned solely by over 2500 members, IMLA services as an international clearinghouse of legal information and cooperation on municipal legal matters. IMLA collects from and disseminates information to its membership across the United States and Canada and helps governmental officials prepare for litigation and develop new local laws.