ASCAP's Cover Band Death Threat

As reported in a story by John A. Torres in Florida Today, ASCAP has gone completely ape-shit with desperation:

Six months after raising the curtain on their gourmet coffee shop in the beachside Indian Harbour Place shopping center, Laurie and Jim Hall decided to offer [free] live music [by unpaid musicians] on Friday and Saturday nights...Then a few months later, music industry giant ASCAP started calling and sending letters saying East Coast Coffee & Tea was in violation of copyright laws. The fee to continue the music was $400 a year.

This is nuts, but it's rather entertaining to watch as the music industry repeatedly shoots itself in the foot.