There may be a “Bad Moon Rising” for Connecticut nightclubs and bars that host rock bands.

For decades, so-called cover bands have churned out classics such as the Creedence Clearwater Revival standard, Van Morrison's “Brown-Eyed Girl,” Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Free Bird” and, more recently, compositions by pop singers such as Taylor Swift. It's not high art, but band members, who may be electricians and lawyers by day, get to live out their rock 'n' roll dreams. Throngs of young people show up to dance and socialize. And the bar sells more booze. Everyone's happy.

Well, not everyone. In order to offer live or recorded music, the owners of such establishments are supposed to shell out several thousands of dollars each year to purchase licenses from performing rights organizations, which in turn pay royalties to the copyright holders of songs played by the bands. In the U.S., these organizations are mostly known by their initials: BMI, ASCAP and SESAC.