Delray Beach Hotel Hit With Federal Lawsuit Over Unlicensed Music

The Ray Hotel, a 141-room boutique resort in Delray Beach’s Pineapple Grove Arts District, is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The organization claims the hotel played songs from its massive catalog without paying for a commercial license, despite repeated warnings.

The suit is one of 12 filed this month by ASCAP against venues nationwide for unauthorized use of music. According to the complaint, the Ray Hotel, part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, opened in 2021 and was notified it needed a license but continued playing protected songs anyway.

The hotel did not respond to requests for comment; Hilton’s corporate office said the property is independently owned and operated.

ASCAP represents more than 1 million songwriters and publishers. The organization says its blanket licenses cost some venues less than $2 per day and cover over 20 million songs.