Haven't talked to an ASCAP rep in a few years but here is what I was told way back then.

If you pay them, then you can play one song or a hundred. You pay them by the seat and they do not negotiate terms.

Fees paid for live performances are NOT shared with the writers. This was mentioned early in the thread but many contributors seem to have missed that fact. If one of Bruce Murdock's songs is played in a live performance, the venue pays a fee but Bruce does not see a penny. If one of his songs is played 10,000 times in live performances, he still does not see a penny. Wonder why the licensing agencies are so anxious to get fees from live performance venues?

The impression I get is that the method of monitoring media favors major artists. Does media that favors folk and non-traditional music get monitored? Are Independent recording companies monitored? If Indies pay licensing fees is there any method of determining payment to writers of songs recorded?