From: Heather Reid <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2018 12:06:46 -0400

Hello,

A while back, I became aware that my institution - Berklee College of Music
- has a BMI University license. We also have a similar license from ASCAP.
Berklee obtained this license primarily to provide licensing cover for the
many performances that take place on the Berklee campus (we average more
than 2000 per year!). However, when I obtained a copy of the license I was
surprised to see that the coverage seems to go quite a bit beyond live
performances. Of particular interest, it appears that this license would
provide a broad right to use recorded music in the classroom and,
potentially, in a range of other educational/pedagogical situations. Here
is the overall grant of rights clause:

“BMI hereby grants to LICENSEE for the Term of this Agreement a
non-exclusive license to perform or cause the public performance by live or
recorded means at LICENSEE’s Premises or by means of Internet Transmissions
or Intranet Transmissions in the Territory all of the musical works to
which BMI shall have the right to grant public performance licenses,
including, but not limited to performances by or at sporting events,
student unions, classrooms, fraternities/sororities, socials, college
theater groups, fairs/festivals, college orchestras, Musical Attractions,
fitness centers, athletic facilities, student bands, Campus Radio
Broadcasting Stations, special events such as orientation and graduation,
“music-on-hold” (as that term is commonly understood) through LICENSEE’s
telephone system(s) at the Premises to persons connected to the Premises by
telephone, LICENSEE’s Web Site(s), including webcasts of Campus Radio
Broadcasting Stations, and LICENSEE’s Cable Television System, with respect
to Locally Originated Programming only.”

I called BMI to inquire if my interpretation of the license was correct.
Specifically I asked if the license would cover such things as in-classroom
and out-of-classroom (e.g. Library-eReserves or LMS-hosted) streaming of
recorded music such as commercially released CDs. The account rep I spoke
to said yes - and that indeed these were exactly the sort of uses that the
license was intended to cover.

I plan to have our General Counsel weigh in on this license to see if she
agrees, but I was curious if any other institutions represented on this
list a) have this license and b) have interpreted it to cover these kinds
of uses?

You can find the full text of the license here:

https://www.bmi.com/forms/licensing/gl/58.pdf


Thanks,
Heather

Heather Reid
Dean, Library & Learning Resources
Berklee College of Music
[log in to unmask]
617-747-2603 <617-747-2150> office
978-821-1711 <617-332-2970> cell