Surely, there must have been some montages or something that allowed for a bit of more music? I can't remember, it's been a long time since I last watched CHEERS.
I wonder if he still gets good pay cheques for CHEERS, although it's the song that everybody knows (its name) Did he compose a piece for CHEERS that ran more than 10 seconds?
Occasionally. Watch the very early episode "Sam at Eleven," which ends with a 50 second piece as the camera moves along the bar. This is a motif Safan used a few times early on in the show.
But most pieces are just a few seconds, and most are variations of the Gary Portnoy/Judy Hart Angelo song, so despite all the reruns, Safan probably couldn't retire off this.