Having just gone through the process of licensing songs, I was told along the way that if a song is published, it is, by law, licenseable to anyone who pays the royalties. There are statutory rates that most publishers charge (of course Harry Fox adds a few bucks). I had a particularly hard time licensing Simple Twist of Fate simply because it was very difficult to locate Ram's Horn Music - go ahead, try our own google search. In the end, once I tracked down Bob Dylan Music in NYC, the process was simple and at the statutory rate. It does not seem the artist is much involved in the process - at least Bob never came to the phone. It is true that the publisher could charge an enormous rate for the use of a song, trying to prevent the use, but if the car company met the price, would this mean Dylan (or anyone) was a bigger sellout? : ) It seems a bit silly that Bob would need my $80, but rights is rights.

dw