Music bill gives bar owners sore heads
Organizations that collect royalty fees on the behalf of musicians and singers are taking advantage of a legal loophole to demand up to 5 million euros a year from bar and nightclub owners in Athens, owners of these establishments have told Kathimerini. The head of the Attica Union of Entertainment Professionals (EEDEA), Dimitris Arvanitis, said that representatives of these organizations are demanding up to 10 percent of each bar’s turnover. «If this situation does not change, then they might as well take over our establishments and let us have 10 percent of their turnover,» said Arvanitis. The law currently states that storeowners should pay a «reasonable» amount in royalty fees if they play music in their establishments. The legislation does not specify exactly what this amount should be.
