Well, I can't blame the venue, and I can't blame performers who are performing songs not controlled by ASCAP. It's ASCAP that has the reputation for bullying.

Same with Carter Family songs. Some of their songs were written or substantially revised by A.P. Carter, but many were not. "Little Moses" is a good example. I found sheet music dated 1845 with an arrangement that sounds just like the Carter Family recording. But you'll have a hard time publishing or recording that song without paying royalties to Peer International Corporation (Ralph Peer's company). Why? Because Peer International is known to be litigious, and publishers don't want to mess with them.

My hat is off to people like Richard Matteson who have researched the origins of Carter Family songs and provided proof that many are in the public domain, despite the bullying of Peer International. See Richie's work in this thread (click). And Hal Leonard didn't cave in to all the Peer International claims when we published the Rise Again songbook. They listed a number of them as in the public domain, "arrangement copyright Hal Leonard, 2015."

-Joe-