After this Saturday's evening with "My Brother's Keeper," We will be closing the Rear Window Listening Room due to a Cease and Desist Notice we received from Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). As most of you know, the Rear Window has, from its beginning, been a labor of love, both of the singer-songwriter's, and of their original songs. The Cease & Desist Notice states that, as of December 9, 2015, we “must immediately cease all use of BMI-licensed music in your business or organization.” It further states that, “The public performance of music in the BMI repertoire without authorization constitutes copyright infringement, which is a violation of federal law and may subject you to substantial damages. …”
Anyway, over the next couple of weeks we hope to distinguish who's who in the BMI stable of musicians and, sadly, remove them from our presentations and/or gain permission from Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) to allow us to present their artist’s music at the Rear Window.
Back to the "Labor of Love" part ... Since we began, our objective has been to break even monetarily. Well, that has not happened, nor does it appear it will as long as we keep going. However, it is our desire to keep the Rear Window open as it has been so that touring artists will, at the very least, receive a modest stipend, some excellent food, and, if needed, a place sleep for the evening.
So, hopefully, this will not be the end of what we endeavor to do here, at least that's not what we want. Please stay tuned.