TV's piper ups its pay: TV Music License Committee agrees to give BMI big hike.(fees local...

TV Music License Committee agrees to give BMI big hike

The Television Music License Committee last week agreed to a dramatic increase in the fees that local stations will pay to BMI for music rights over the next two years. The two sides had been working without a contract since January 1995.

The new blanket license agreement for local TV station use of BMI's music library is retroactive to Jan. 1, 1995, and extends through March 31, 1999. Total fees for the period covered by the new agreement will be roughly $178 million.

The blanket license deal