A Charleston County strip club won’t be playing playing "Gonna Make You Sweat" and "I Wanna New Drug" without paying for them anymore.
A copyright-infringement lawsuit against GoodFellas Cabaret at 2028 Pittsburgh Ave. was dismissed July 3 after a confidential settlement.
In February, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers sued 11 establishments around the nation, including GoodFellas, for playing music without paying licensing fees.
The complaint was seeking a court order to restrain GoodFellas from playing four songs named in the complaint and for damages of up to $30,000 for each infraction, as well as attorney fees.
GoodFellas is owned by JBCM Holdings LLC, whose principals are John Bailey and Clifford McGehee, according to the complaint.
JBCM's parent company, which was not named in the lawsuit, is Heavy Man LLC of Jacksonville, Fla. Scott Hendrix of Heavy Man said there was some confusion over who owned the rights to the songs in the complaint, and he was willing to make things right after that was cleared up.
The cost of a license varies based on the nature of the business. A typical bar or restaurant pays about $60 a month, depending on frequency and the size of the establishment.
GoodFellas, an adult venue with an occupancy of about 400, was being asked to pay about $300 a month, according to an ASCAP spokesman.
About 4,000 bars, clubs and restaurants in South Carolina pay the license fee.