Has a restaurant owner do I have to pay BMI just for airing store bought CD's in my restaurant?

Answer 1

Yes, you should have to pay someone. Store bought CDs come with a license that you can use them for your personal non-commercial use. Once you start using them in a business/commercial setting, you've violated the license.

Answer 2

Yeah, if the customers will be hearing the CD's. Off time with employees it's fine to play them. I had to get a certain sound system and pay every month, and the company paid BMI for me. I had to do that even to have the radio on, which I thought was weird, because it was a popular station for the area and I knew 80% of the customers probably had it on their car radios.