Why do I have to pay for copyright if the artist plays their own songs?

The copyright for the song is separate to the performance of a musical work. The artist is paid for the performance. The licence fee paid to BumaStemra is for the use of the musical work, which is of course copyrighted. Even if the performer plays their own songs. In many cases, even on their own songs, there are more rightsholders, such as co-writers. They also receive fair payment for their work through BumaStemra.