I'm not quite sure what this thread is all about. Are we saying that once a song is out there it becomes the property of the community and not the individual that created it?? The phrase from an earlier message, intellectual manifest destiny, comes to mind. Are we saying that if we sing this song for money in a performance setting that the author shouldn't receive any compensation? I know that ascap and bmi go way too far one way but don't we all agree that some fee is due the artist? Non paying gigs, summer camps, churches, etc. are one thing but when we earn money from another artist work isn't it only fair to compensate? I usually perform only traditional ballads and stories but in the storytelling world the issue of using original and personal stories is a hot one. Just imagine someone telling a personal narrative from your life and doing it in the first person. Now that's goes too far.