Her publishing firm and eight other companies have filed a federal lawsuit against the bar's owner, Lonnie K. Powers, saying he hasn't been paying licensing fees since 2007 to play such hits as Apple's "Criminal," Melissa Etheridge's "I'm the Only One" and Bob McDill's "Don't Close Your Eyes."
The bar is a mainstay in Nashville's historic Printers Alley.
The latest lawsuit is one of many filed across the country every year against karaoke companies, bars and restaurants accused of not paying royalties on the songs they play to entertain amateur crooners on a nightly basis.
Wolfy's, a restaurant on Lower Broadway, closed down in 2005 shortly after getting hit with a similar lawsuit.
Among Lonnie's Western Room's accused infractions: not paying for Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats.''
Lonnie Powers, however, said Wednesday that he has been paying licensing fees through a karaoke machine company called Sound Choice, and he has no idea why he's being sued.
"If it's something I owe, I'll pay it,'' he said.
He also said the lawsuit wasn't true when it accused him of rejecting offers to renew his licensing agreement with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, or ASCAP, when it expired in 2007.
"I didn't get any offers,'' he said. "I haven't heard anything from them."
Vincent Candilora, the senior vice president of licensing for ASCAP, said all bars and karaoke clubs that play music have to pay royalties. He said the fees are reasonable, estimating that Lonnie's Western Room would have to pay about $1 per day.
"(Powers) certainly understands what the copyright law is,'' Candilora said. "That's the reason why he signed a licensing agreement originally."
The plaintiffs in the lawsuit also include Sony/ATV Tunes, Universal-Polygram International Publishing and Mighty Underdog Music.
Contact Naomi Snyder at 615-259-8284 or nsnyder@tennessean.com.
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