Dear Editor:
I manage a nightclub where we have been paying the 3A tariff fee for live music. We recently installed several big screen TVs to show sports and other events between sets and when big games are on. The customers love it, but I've been told by someone that I will need a tariff 15A licence in order to use the TVs. Is there such a thing as an “all-uses” single tariff we can pay that would cover all music use no matter what?
-- Don M., Halifax, N.S.

Dear Don:
Let me start by saying, thanks for the question; we actually get this one a lot. The answer to your question is no. As good as it sounds, there are so many different types of music use, it would be difficult to decide what to charge for an “all-uses” licence. Just a few examples, our current licences include Karaoke (tariff 20), Music On Aircraft (traiff 13A), Music at Cinemas (tariff 6), Music at Skating Rinks (tariff 7), Music at Sporting Events (tariff 9), and Music For Physical Activities and Dance Instruction (tariff 19). And that’s just the beginning! We have 25 specific tariffs, dealing with virtually every type of use imaginable. That said, there will inevitably be new uses on the horizon, and when they arrive, we will be developing new tariffs to address them.
-- The Editor

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