Members of the National Independent Venue Association and the National Independent Talent Organizations discuss the issues and solutions surrounding PROs' use of blanket licenses.
Tobi Parks, Michael Dorf, Nathaniel Marro and Ella Yates at the PROs, Policy, and the Live Music Economy Panel at NIVA'26
Darin Kamnetz/Courtesy NIVA
City Winery owner Michael Dorf said he gets letters all the time from performing rights organizations (PROs) like BMI, SESAC and AllTrack when he pushes back on the blanket licensing practice that requires live music venues — as well as other businesses that play music — to pay a set fee for the songs being played in their establishments. The money collected from the businesses goes to the PROs, that then distribute the funds to the songwriters they represent.
But Dorf, who also owns Michael Dorf Presents and founded the original Knitting Factory venue in New York, said these letters are in response to him asking the individual PROs to specify what songs of theirs were played on his stage. The letter in hand from AllTrack, Dorf explained from the annual National Independent Venue Alliance conference in Minneapolis earlier this week, threatened fines of up to $150,000 per track used if he does not obtain the appropriate license.
