Again, ASCAP members:
If you do your homework and read the literature pertaining to your membership, you will find that ASCAP does NOT cover performance of music. ASCAP ONLY covers pre-recorded selections played during intermissions, before shows etc.
EX: When my local theatre produces a show, our ASCAP membership allows us to play music of our choosing during intermission as long as it is listed in ASCAP's extensive list of Broadcast Rights Ownership. This is because ASCAP can only grant what are called BROADCAST RIGHTS.
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS are commonly obtained by purchasing sheet music. These rights allow groups or individuals to perform music live in concert as long as the choreography and/or costuming do not suggest themes or concepts from the show they come from.
Legally speaking, one is technically required to purchase ALL music used.(No photocopies.)
Now, anyone who wishes to perform selections WITH choreography and/or costumes that suggest concepts from the shows they come from will need to contact the publisher directly and obtain GRAND RIGHTS. Once you've obtained grand rights, you can do as much or as little with costuming and choreography as you want to. (Remembering that exact costume designs and choreography routines are the intellectual property of their respective originators.)
A common misconception is that purchasing the rights to an actual musical gives a group the right to perform that show "Concert" or "Revue" Style if they choose. This is untrue, because groups that license full shows are legally REQUIRED to perform that show "as is" without alteration to the script or score of any kind. If you wish to change anything in the script or score, most publishers simply request a fax copy of the proposed changes in the script. Publishers usually approve changes on a case-by-case basis.
None of this is very much fun at all. And little satisfaction comes from obtaining rights the legal way. This is because, depending on your location, your chances of getting caught range from slim to nill. However I do know people who did get caught, and some theatres have even lost their non-profit status due to these cases. I'm afraid that the law, as it stands, is squarely on the side of the publisher.
The guidelines above apply to MOST music and shows on a GENERAL basis. Of course, some snooty writers find ways to choose different options when it comes to copyright which results in some additional dollars being paid towards themselves.
Do your homework and don't get caught with your pants down.
Anyway, In this case, all you need to do for the purposes as you described them is purchase ALL of the sheet music. you may try and get your local music provider (if any) to donate or discount the music in exchange for advertisement of some sort. If you end up paying for it, you can write it off on your taxes.
Also, I would suggest NOT doing costumes of any kind other than "nice" attire. Or, if it's an outdoor daytime kinda thing, just have your performers wear the same color t-shirt and jeans.
Updated On: 8/21/07 at 09:53 PM
