Any ops having problems with Guitar Hero arcade?

mdrago

New member
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
366
Reaction score
0
Location
Crestwood, Missouri
Ascap has been chasing us down about our Guitar Hero video games. We only have two of them but have been getting hassled about them. My understanding was this was a legally licensed game but ascap is saying that it isn't. we had one in a music venue and they are wanting us to pay a fine because they are basically saying it is used like a jukebox but its not because patrons are paying for the entertainment of the game not for the listening value of the music. anyone else had any problems with this?

ascap is saying we have to pay the $800 a year license to have it in this bar. this bar does not have the ascap license already because it does not do cover bands just simply original music so they have no need for the license. we gave the lady hassling us raw thrills number because our distributor told us that should clear it up but it has not.

ascap is saying they are going around the st. louis area and is going to push every one of these out.
 
I would say that some one at ASCAP has thier head up their butts. RT, Konami and Activision all took care of the licensing of GH for public venues. I've got over 70 of them out and not a single complaint about them not being legal.

I'd tell them to pack sand.

Matt
 
That is what I was thinking. Seems ridiculous. Are yours making good money? What kind of places do you have your best ones in?
 
That is what I was thinking. Seems ridiculous. Are yours making good money? What kind of places do you have your best ones in?

All of my locations are movie theatres. They are all doing great.

Matt
 
I'd tell them to pack sand.

Matt

Thats pound sand...

I'm having a Demolition Man flashback from this... :D

Lenina Huxley: Chief, you can take this job, and you can shovel it.
John Spartan: Take this job... and shovel it.
Lenina Huxley: Yeah?
John Spartan: Close enough.
 
Dandy Amusement has a bunch of them in all the Regal Cinemas here on the west coast. My contacts have not heard of any hassles with their GH machines.

If you are being hassled about these machines by ASCAP, I'd contact both Replay Magazine and the Amusement Operators of America (A.M.O.A. ) and let them know.
 
Last edited:
They also used the artwork for the word "Arcade" in the Defender style from localarcade.com (now the french mirror)


Arcade_Defender_style_Marquee.jpg
 
http://gamepolitics.com/2009/12/15/ascap-seeks-licensing-fee-guitar-hero-arcade-operator

That was quick...

Update: AN ASCAP spokesperson told GP, "ASCAP is currently in negotiations with the manufacturer for the commercial use of these machines."


Scary... if that's a fact, I'd be PISSED if I owned/operated/paid for these units and they didn't already have said licensing in place.

Damn...

More links (same story it seems);

http://www.geek.com/articles/games/ascap-goes-after-guitar-hero-20091215/
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20091214/0857127338.shtml
http://www.infoaddict.com/ascap-goes-after-guitar-hero-venues
http://virtualreview.org/tech/zoom/1311916/ascap-seeks-licensing-fees-for-guitar-hero-arcade
http://jetlib.com/news/2009/12/16/ascap-seeks-licensing-fees-for-guitar-hero-arcade/
http://exclaim.ca/articles/generalarticlesynopsfullart.aspx?csid1=139&csid2=844&fid1=43180

Jesus... I can't even start to post them all. :D

I am guessing traffic will go up over the next couple days.

:D

 
Last edited:
Thats pound sand...

I'm having a Demolition Man flashback from this... :D

Lenina Huxley: Chief, you can take this job, and you can shovel it.
John Spartan: Take this job... and shovel it.
Lenina Huxley: Yeah?
John Spartan: Close enough.

Oh, right. Thanks...

"Piece of Pie."

Matt
 
You sure do get pissed a lot.

They got the license, but now a different organization is trying to make the device into something else that it wasn't intended to be.

Kinda like you technically may have to pay a fee to the NFL if you have a TV that is over 55" and have some friends over. Would you be pissed at Sony for selling you the TV and not paying the NFL the fee?


 
Slight different situation here. Commercial setting. If the device IS determined to require an ASCAP license the argument is: "Hey, I wasn't told I was buying a jukebox that would require a yearly license"...

Think about Gamefixer with 70... that's $56,000 in yearly ASCAP fees... now, I'd assume a lower rate could be negotiated, but it would still be a TON of dough. When you buy a bar, you KNOW you have to pay ASCAP for the juke... It's pretty much common knowledge that is passed down from owner to owner etc. Lets say you buy a couple of these machines... at a HUGE price (not even sure what they cost)... no one says they're considered a Juke so ASCAP comes in and fines your ass. Not cool.
 
Slight different situation here. Commercial setting. If the device IS determined to require an ASCAP license the argument is: "Hey, I wasn't told I was buying a jukebox that would require a yearly license"...

Think about Gamefixer with 70... that's $56,000 in yearly ASCAP fees... now, I'd assume a lower rate could be negotiated, but it would still be a TON of dough. When you buy a bar, you KNOW you have to pay ASCAP for the juke... It's pretty much common knowledge that is passed down from owner to owner etc. Lets say you buy a couple of these machines... at a HUGE price (not even sure what they cost)... no one says they're considered a Juke so ASCAP comes in and fines your ass. Not cool.

Before I counterpoint, maybe I misunderstood your stance. Are you pissed at the makers of Guitar Hero or ASCAP?
 
ASCAP are douches for sure... and as it stands, there is no reason to be pissed at the makers of Guitar Hero... yet. Lets see where this all goes. If, ultimately, it was determined ASCAP is/was supposed to get their "fair share" (ha)... then that is the time to be pissed at the makers for not crossing their T's and dotting their I's...
 
Guitar hero cost about 7000. Wouldnt really consider it a juke as most cant even make it through a whole song the timeing on the arcade version is brutal.
 
They also used the artwork for the word "Arcade" in the Defender style from localarcade.com (now the french mirror)


Arcade_Defender_style_Marquee.jpg

I think this part is quite funny. This franchise has made millions upon millions and has custom graphic designers, and they ripped off a logo that was already a ripoff of another logo?
 
ASCAP are douches for sure... and as it stands, there is no reason to be pissed at the makers of Guitar Hero... yet. Lets see where this all goes. If, ultimately, it was determined ASCAP is/was supposed to get their "fair share" (ha)... then that is the time to be pissed at the makers for not crossing their T's and dotting their I's...

I'll go back to my counterpoint, ASCAP is asking for fees because the bar owner is using it like a Jukebox even though Guitar Hero itself was never intended to be a Jukebox replacement. If the owner had a Sony CD player instead of Guitar Hero and ASCAP starting asking for fees would you be pissed that Sony didn't cross their T's and dot their I's because someone decide to use a Sony CD player as a Jukebox even though it was never intended to be a Jukebox?
 
I'll go back to my counterpoint, ASCAP is asking for fees because the bar owner is using it like a Jukebox even though Guitar Hero itself was never intended to be a Jukebox replacement. If the owner had a Sony CD player instead of Guitar Hero and ASCAP starting asking for fees would you be pissed that Sony didn't cross their T's and dot their I's because someone decide to use a Sony CD player as a Jukebox even though it was never intended to be a Jukebox?

I think you read the OP wrong. ASCAP is saying the GUITAR HERO "is" like a jukebox... not that the OP himself used Guitar Hero like a jukebox. Is there even a setting to allow songs to run through in their entirety when no one is playing?
 
Back
Top Bottom