SOUTHINGTON — Playing House of Pain’s 1992 hit “Jump Around” and other songs could cost Blackstone Irish Pub more than $30,000 if a music copyright infringement lawsuit against the bar is successful.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers filed suits against 19 bars and venues this week, claiming the establishments played copyrighted music without buying licenses.

ASCAP has been trying to get Blackstone to buy an approximately $4,000 annual license for several years, according to Jackson Wagener, the group’s business and legal affairs vice president. After being repeatedly rejected, ASCAP sent an investigator to the bar last November to document a sampling of the copyrighted music being played.

According to the lawsuit, a cover band played “Jump Around” the night of Nov. 4, along with “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World. A third song listed in the suit, “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silentó was played over the PA system, according to Wagener.

He said the songs were representative of many more played without paying license fees. Those fees go to ASCAP members, which include bands, as well as songwriters who don’t collect income from touring or selling merchandise.

“For those people who are songwriters first, these licenses are incredibly important,” Wagener said.

The suit named Blackstone owners Michael Miller and Greg Maloney, both of whom also own other bars. Messages left for both owners were not returned.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Maloney said ASCAP wouldn’t provide details of what its license covered and said the organization had been difficult to work with. He said he hasn’t yet been served with the lawsuit.

“I don’t just pay everyone who calls me for money until I see what we are paying for,” Maloney wrote.

License costs are based on the bar’s occupancy, the frequency of music and cover charges. While Wagener said the cover band that played is also liable, ASCAP focuses on the venue since the venue benefits from the music through increased food and drink sales.

ASCAP’s lawsuit requests attorney fees and damages up to $30,000 as set by copyright statutes.

Wagener described the lawsuit as a “last resort.”

“It’s something that happens only after the owners of the establishment have been given dozens of opportunities over a number of years to obtain a license from ASCAP,” he said. “Our real goal here is to get these folks to the table, to get to an amicable settlement and to move on.”

jbuchanan@record-journal.com

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Twitter: @JBuchananRJ