Royalties for Music in Shakespeare?
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URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3918
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Topic: Royalties for Music in Shakespeare?
Posted By: Chookas
Subject: Royalties for Music in Shakespeare?
Date Posted: 4/02/09 at 4:36pm
Hi,
My first question on this forum! My friends and I are trying to start a youth theatre group in our area specializing in Shakespeare. To attract the interest of teens and preteens, we want to modernize the plays by setting them to rock music. Here's the thing: would we need to pay royalties to play the music or have the characters sing to it? We would be charging money for tickets, but my high-school drama teacher told us that amateur productions don't need to pay royalties for background music.
I just wanted to get some professional opinions--it would definitely suck to have legal troubles before our first show even closed...Thanks in advance!
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Replies:
Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 4/03/09 at 8:57am
Your high school drama teacher is dead wrong!!! Perhaps he is confused - SCHOOLS can use music as educational exercises. NOT amateur theatres.
Yes, royalties must always be paid on music that has a copyright. Which would include any recorded music (even classical music has copyright on the PERFORMANCE of the piece).
A fee paid to ASCAP usually covers all the music you want to use.
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Posted By: Chookas
Date Posted: 4/03/09 at 10:53am
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Great, thanks! I had a feeling that was how it worked. So, about how much do royalties cost per song, per performance? I'd love to still be able to do it, but if cost is an issue, we really can't afford it.
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Posted By: imamember
Date Posted: 4/03/09 at 3:50pm
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ASCAP is a one charge covers all type deal if I remember correctly.
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Posted By: tristanrobin
Date Posted: 4/04/09 at 9:10am
imamember is right.
it might not be as much as you expect.
when you fill out the application, do NOT try to make your group more "important" than it is. Remember: you are HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, working VOLUNTEER on SHAKESPEARE with LOW COST TICKETS and expect VERY SMALL AUDIENCES. They aren't going to charge you $10k if you are only going to be making $87.
... and good luck!
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