Paying For Copyrights on Music
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If you are going to use a piece of recorded or composed music for almost any reason, you need to check and make sure whether or not you should be paying for the copyrights on that music. It is very important to make sure that you are paying for the use of copyrighted music. Not only does it help artists that are making their living by producing music, but it also protects you from future lawsuits if you are found in violation of copyright law. Since this law is internationally recognized by all but a handful of countries, there is almost no where on earth where the intellectual property rights on a piece of music aren’t recognized.
If you are using a piece of music for anything besides personal listening, you need to obtain a license for it. This means if you are performing as a cover band at a club or making copies of an album to sell. Most of the time you’ll get a license for your cover band activities; very rarely will you be able to make copies of music if you aren’t affiliated with the original production company. To pay for copyrights on music you need to contact licensing agencies in your region. These agencies represent all the artists and labels across the country. It is to these agencies that you’ll apply for a license and it is also to them that you will pay your licensing fee.
There are instances where you can publicly perform a song without paying for copyrights on the music. If you buy the sheet music of a piece you are generally automatically granted amateur performance rights for free. This means that you can Ben Folds at your next piano recital without worrying about committing a felony. If you are a cover band playing at local clubs, most of these clubs have blanket licenses for performing non-original live music. Check with your venue before paying for copyrights on music.
