Is Your Business Music Legal?

Music is so common Incredible Hulk widespread in our culture that Major Matt Mason many of us Haunted Mansion game for granted the right we have (or think we have) to play it. Most people fail to realize that a legal license is required by law to play any copyrighted music.

Copyrighted Music

So what constitutes copyrighted music? The majority of music (if not all of it) that you hear is copyrighted, which means an individual or group of individuals 1980's toys the exclusive right to copy, license, or otherwise use a musical work. Generally those individuals are the people who created and produced the music. Whether it is donating car the radio, on a CD, or legally downloaded in the form of an MP3 file, the music is copyrighted. Companies (namely retail businesses and corporations with on hold music) are not allowed to play music from compact discs, the radio, or anything other media form for their clients and customers without obtaining the proper licenses first. This means one cannot simply hook up the radio, MP3 player, or a CD to play for customers; doing so will make you liable and result in unnecessary lawsuits and hefty fines.

It is imperative to know the difference between re-broadcasting music in a commercial setting versus listening to it strictly for private enjoyment. Consumers are permitted to buy CDs and legally download MP3 files for their personal enjoyment for them; you are allowed to play the music within your own home, private office, or car. The re-broadcasting of licensed music within any commercial establishment (such as a restaurant, office lobby, store, etc) is not permitted and is subject to legal fines and fees.

No License?

If you choose to re-broadcast copyrighted music in a commercial location without a proper license, there is the possibility that you will not get caught and nothing will happen to you. Since monitoring literally millions of pieces of copyrighted music that play every single day throughout the country is practically impossible, there is the possibility that you will not get caught. However, licensing organizations such as Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) are stepping up efforts to contact businesses that use music (whether in a retail store or on hold) to make sure they have all the proper and necessary licenses to play that music.

Be forewarned that if you do get caught and are charged for copyright infringement (illegally playing copyrighted music), fines can be as steep as $20,000 for each song (or performance) you played without a license. If it can be proven that the infringement was intentional, the fines will increase substantially and rise possibly as high as $100,000. Contact a licensing organization to get the licenses to play the music you want to play for your customers.

On Hold Marketing Messages

One of the preeminent and most secure ways to guarantee the content and music your customers hear on hold or in a commercial establishment is legal and exactly what you want is to get a custom rel="nofollow" href="leavemeonhold.com/">on hold marketing message Music is so common and widespread in our culture that frequently many of us take for granted the right we have (or think we have) to play it. Such a recording will guarantee that your clients customers hear exactly what you want them to while they are on hold; it is a perfect time to nonchalantly discuss products and services you offer without being intrusive or overbearing. Plus, the cost of having such a message created is substantially less than the fees and fines you are likely to incur if you illegally used licensed and copyrighted music.

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Now is the Time to Know Your Redundancy Rights

Recession and redundancy are the ugly couple who always go about hand in hand. When dealing with one it is hard to ignore the other, so knowing your redundancy rights is important. Statistics warn that by 2009 our unemployment figures could be as high as 2 million and it's not just the financial sector that is culling jobs.

Retailers have been forced to make staff redundant 1975 Topps baseball cards a no holds barred discount campaign failed to throw them a lifeline. The service industry is also losing workers as businesses cut their lunch accounts and the public stay at home instead of eating out. Throw in hoteliers and other hospitality businesses and you can see that the recession is affecting most industries right across the board.

If you are unfortunate enough to be victim to this recession and have lost your job or think you are in danger of doing so, then you should take care to read on. The following will help you secure the best severance deal possible.

Know your redundancy rights

Your employer must adhere to procedures as laid out by law when processing your redundancy. For instance, if your employer is cutting 20 or more jobs they must enter into negotiations with your union or an employee representative. Furthermore, either unions or staff representatives must be informed at least 30 days ahead of 1969 Topps baseball cards redundancies. In the event a 100 or more workers are let go, that time frame increases to 90 days.

Your employer must meet with you personally to discuss your redundancy, failing that, or breaching any of the above terms will amount to donate used car dismissal. It's advisable that you consult your union or staff representative for a comprehensive list of procedures that your employer must follow. Doing so will strengthen your case for an unfair dismissal claims should the need arise.

Legal insurance

If you intend on taking your former employer to court you should first ensure you have insurance for legal expenses. Legal expenses insurance is offered as an add-on to many home insurance policies and most high street providers, ie building societies will be able to give you all the details you need.

Insurance will pay up to 50,000 legal expenses if you take your employer to court. To do so, you naturally must be quite certain that you have been unfairly selected. Race, age and sex are the most common reasons for discrimination but vary in terms of payouts (if your the claim is successful).

For instance, the compensation awarded to people who were unfairly selected for redundancy based on age tends not to be capped. For racial and sexual discrimination, however, the compensation awarded usually goes no higher than around 70,000.

Check your "contractual rights"

Contractual rights should have been in your employment contract when you took the job and it is there you will find out how much redundancy pay you can expect to receive. Employers are required to pay workers aged 22 to 41 a week's wages for every year earned, while older employees get 1 weeks' pay.

If this strikes you with fear, try not to panic as the majority of employers offer better terms. Again, check your contractual rights for information.

Never agree to anything verbally

Don't accept any redundancy terms unless you have had a 'dismissal meeting'. When your severance package is discussed, you should not be asked to agree anything verbally, nor are you required to accept the initial departure terms offered.

Once you have received your redundancy terms in writing you can consider the fairness of what's offered. Also, you may want to ask yourself what you believe is most important. For instance, do you want to get help finding another job or simply cut and run with the biggest pay out possible?

Be tax-efficient

If you pay income tax at the higher levels this if for you. It pays to remember that only the first 30,000 of any redundancy payment is tax-free. If your severance package is above this it will be taxed at your usual high rate. If your redundancy money has been paid to you while Isis on your company's payroll then full PAYE deductions will be made on payments exceeding 30,000.

If your severance is paid after you have left the company and received your P45, then you will only be subject to a 20% tax deduction.

Consider your share options

If you have shares options you should be aware that some schemes Beatles model kits lapse the day you become redundant. Others, on the other hand offer a limited time to continue operating within the scheme. It may be something to consider if you believe their value will increase over the short to medium term as a result of the cut backs.

Check your pension policy If possible, check with your pension company to see if your pension accrual is included in your severance pay - it could be quite the money spinner.

For instance, your pension may allow for part of your redundancy payment to be paid directly into your policy. As this will not attract National Insurance contributions and as a result not cost your employer anything, you may be able to negotiate a higher payment.

Try to retain benefits

Your job may have come with some worthwhile benefits such as medical insurance, which you will be sad to leave behind. If you don't ask you don't get, so try persuading your employer to let any benefits run their course until renewal date, instead of stopping them when you get your P45.

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