This doesn't answer your question directly, but I wanted to warn you about something we discovered. We were a small radio and electricity museum in a small town in Northwest Washington. We built a 1930s listening room at our museum. It featured a 1935 Console radio and a custom designed player that would play snippets of 1930s programs such as war of the worlds, the Lone Ranger, etc. Each program was at a different frequency on the dial, so visitors could have the experience of tuning the radio, something you don't see much these days.
After running the exhibit for a year or so, we received a visit from a representative of ASCAP. He informed us that we were due royalties not only For the future, but for the last year. We objected, citing fair use, etc. they said if we didn't pay what they demanded, They'd sue us. A little research online showed that they usually win these suits. Unfortunately the fee was too high for us to be able to afford it, so we shut down the exhibit. We still had to pay for the previous year.
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John Jenkins
SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention
Bellingham WA
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Original Message:
Sent: 08-13-2020 04:09 PM
From: Jim Hunter
Subject: Use of Collections
Our museum focuses on historical audio equipment. We would like to develop "period listening rooms" where audio systems of the past can be auditioned. Naturally it will require a responsible operator on the volume control! Eventually all audio equipment will fail.
It could be compared to a car museum that turns on the engine. It might be to just demonstrate the sound, or it could be running the car around the parking lot, or even entering it into an "historical race". The latter would accelerate failure!
Should this situation be specifically outlined in our collections management policy? Any insight would be appreciated.
Jim Hunter, Curator KHMA
www.klipschmuseum.org