In an otherwise rather lengthy (but interesting and relevant) blog-entry (on statements of ASCAP about CC licensing) Lawrence Lessig makes a good and important point:
“ASCAP historically has played a crucially important role in helping artists get paid for their work. Today, the nonexclusive ASCAP agreement is a model for collecting rights societies internationally. In my view, we will and should always have collecting rights societies to help authors and artists deal with the burden of collecting royalties where they want royalties to be collected. The only question is how public policy can help make sure these societies are competitive and efficient. The US has done a good job in that respect. Other countries, not so good. But nothing in CC’s mission has anything to do with displacing the proper functioning of efficient and well run collecting rights organizations.”
Very well put.