As these groups lose their remaining original members, others are on stages around the country are using their names, Porter said. Some groups claim an association with the originals, while others say they own the rights to use their titles.

“Imposters bask in reflected glory. None contributed to the respected legacies that they claim to represent and the billing should reflect accordingly,” she said, adding that it is a matter of what is advertised versus “what am I getting? The public doesn’t know that and they capitalize on it.”

Groups that perform without saying “tribute,” according to Sonny Turner, an original member of The Platters, are “unequivocally misleading … (It’s) like buying a knock-off Rolex watch.” —Amanda Cochran —‘Truth in Music’ stalls in committee (Tribune-Review)

A high school friend of mine is the drummer for an 80s and 90s cover band called Gonzo’s Nose. I’ve never heard them play, but I do read their website from time to time. It pokes fun at the fact they have been “playing other people’s music since 1996”.

As I understand it, the music industry lets other performers pay a standard fee if they want to “cover” somebody else’s work. I seem to remember a Gonzo’s Nose anecodote about band members encountering groupies who don’t know what a “cover band” is.

While those fellows are based in the Washington, D.C. area, I wonder how the proposed Pennsylvania legislation would have affected them, if at all.