Ascap Will Allow Girl Scouts To Sing Songs -- Free of Charge
May 09, 2011
It's official: Girl Scouts will be allowed to sing ``Puff the Magic Dragon'' and other songs around the campfire after all, free of charge. In a contrite statement Monday, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers said it has ``never sought, nor was it ever its intention, to license Girl Scouts singing around the campfire.'' The society also said it will reimburse 16 Girl Scout councils that did pay fees this summer ranging from $77 to $257 for the right to sing songs. The American Camping Association isn't satisfied, however. It wants Ascap to clarify more precisely when a camp must pay for music and when the use, such as singing around the campfire, is exempt. Also unclear is whether other nonprofit youth groups such as 4-H and Camp Fire Girls should be reimbursed as well, the association said. In an article in this publication last week, the Girl Scout Council in Oakland, Calif., explained how it had told its 20 camps to delete all copyrighted Ascap songs from their programs this summer -- including such classics as ``This Land is Your Land'' and ``God Bless America.'' The council, which is short on cash, decided it couldn't afford to pay Ascap's license fee for use of the songs.
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