Yearbook of radio and television (1964)

Broadcast Music, Inc. THE United States copyright law provides that the authors and publishers of music have the right to be compensated when their music is performed publicly for profit. This right also exists under the laws of every major country of the world. Broadcast Music, Inc. — BMI — was created in 1940. Its sole purpose is to serve as an organization which would acquire and license performing rights and, in so doing, bring about healthy and necessary competition. BMI was organized by a group of broadcasters who neither collect dividends nor receive special rates from it. BMI acquires performing rights from independent writers and publishers, collects license fees from the organizations which perform music for profit and, in turn, makes payment to the creators of the music. It licenses the music of composers and publishers who are resident in every one of the United States. Through agreements with performing rights societies in other countries, it brings foreign music to America and makes American music available throughout the world. BMI does not publish or record music. The rights to do so belong exclusively to the composers and publishers. Except for operating expenses and a reasonable reserve, BMI pays all of the money it collects to the composers and publishers whose music is performed. The organization determines payment to composers and publishers on the basis of the performance of music on thousands of independent stations as well as on country-wide networks, it does so because the performance of music on radio and television represents the truest gauge of public demand for music of all types and the broadest use of music to meet that demand. The past year marked BMI's 23rd year of service. It was a year that saw the number of our affiliated authors, composers and publishers and the compositions we license at an all-time high. For the future, BM( looks forward to serving many thousands more of the creators of music and many more of the businesses which use music as part of their service to the public. It will continue to deal justly and fairly with those enterprises which enable that music to be heard. It will continue to maintain its open-door policy for the benefit of all persons who wish to gain the public ear and be rewarded if their works win favor. It will continue to serve the public by making music from every part of our country and from all quarters of the world available for public performance. OFFICERS President. . .Robert Jay Burton V.P.& Gen. Counsel. . . Sydney M.Kaye V.P. Chg. of Publisher & Writer Rels. . .Robert B. Sour Asst. V.P. Chg. of Publisher Rels. . . .Theodora Zavin Asst. V.P. Chg. of Publisher & Writer Rels., W. Coast. . .Richard Kirk Comptroller. . .Edward J. Molinelli Treas. & Asst .Sec. . Robert J. Higgins Sydney M. Kaye, Chairman Robert Jay Burton John Elmer Leonard Kapner Merrill Lindsay BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dwight W. Martin Paul W. Morency John F. Patt Ward L. Quaal 908 William Regan J. Leonard Reinsch Robert O. Reynolds G. Richard Shaffo E. R. Vadeboncoeur