Whether you are performing, writing, rehearsing or recording music, you’ll probably need to be covered by a licence. But knowing where to start, what you should consider and what you need to do can be confusing. This resource will introduce the permissions and licenses you may need and how to get them.

Even if your group has never needed a licence it’s worth taking some time to understand music licensing because: 

• Understanding when and why you might need a licence will help you when planning and budgeting for the future
• Licences allow music creators to be rewarded for their work and therefore to continue creating music in the future
• If you make and/or perform music then licensing may become relevant to your group at some point even if it hasn’t been so far.

What is copyright?

Copyright is the legal right a creator or owner of a piece or work has to control how it is used by other people. This control normally involves licensing and permissions and is a way for the copyright holder to make money from their creation.

What is public domain music?

Public domain music is music that is out of copyright. In the UK music is considered “out of copyright” 70 years after the death of the creators. This includes the composer, librettist/lyricist, and arranger. If music is out of copyright it might be available in the public domain for free - for example from the Petrucci Music Library (IMSLP) and Choral Public Domain Library.

What are royalty fees?

If the music you are performing is in copyright then royalty fees will be due for the performance. In the UK the collection of royalty fees for live performance is handled by PPL/PRS who collect fees from license holders and distribute them to the relevant copyright owners.

Our resources below explain more about how copyright and licensing work.