The Water Tank Bar & Grill on McNeil in Northwest Austin is facing a lawsuit from ASCAP, the not-for-profit performing rights organization that represents 1.1 million music creators, for failure to obtain a license and therefore “consistently performing musical works without permission,” the organization announced last week.
ASCAP’s licenses – purchased by performing venues, bars, and anywhere that features musical entertainment – extend permission for recording artists’ work to be played for groups or performed publicly by cover artists or in a karaoke setting.
According to Jackson Wagener, ASCAP spokesman and senior vice president of business & legal affairs, members of their team have reached out to the Water Tank consistently over the past three years, offering them opportunities to obtain a license, which they have refused…