Performance Rights for Concerts/Cabarets

[wardrobemistress76]

Hello Everyone, 

I hope you are all keeping well. 

As rules continue to be relaxed, I am in talks with friends about producing a Musical Theatre concert/cabaret - a sort of 'celebration' of Musical Theatre. My local town has a severe lack of live music and theatre, so this would be the first concert of its type. 

I have tried to find information online about the rules and regulations surrounding the use of songs from musicals, but it's all very complicated and often contradictory. 

We don't wish to recreate scenes from musicals with costume, sets, props or 'characters' - we simply want 90 minutes of the best songs from the musicals performed by a cast of 4 - 6 people and a small band. 

Does anyone have any information or advice as to how best go about this? 

Many thanks in advance. 


Kind Regards, 
WM

[TallPaul]

Your post suggests the music is going to be live, rather than recorded, so as I understand it you will only need a PRS licence. If recorded music was involved, you would also need a PPL licence.

(Though just to complicate matters further, PRS and PPL have now joined forces with a combined website.)

The best place to start is probably:

www.pplprs.co.uk

And this page on the PRS website is particularly helpful:

www.prsformusic.com/royalties/theatre-royalties-and-grand-rights

Over the course of a non-loockdown year there must be hundreds, if not thousands, of 'songs from the shows' type of productions in theatres and village halls up and down the country. That being the case, I can't imagine the licensing requirements being that onerous, just don't exceed 25 minutes from any one musical.

One of the reasons they are such a favourite with amateur societies is because they are quite lucrative and often raise much needed funds to cover any losses made on their main production.

[oxfordsimon]

Key things to remember:

A concert has to be a concert so you mustn't seek to stage songs in a theatrical way. You can still do choreo bit it has to be more limited

Each rights holder will limit the material drawn from any one show

Disney songs are very hard to get permission to perform. And they are very litigious

Best thing is to draw up your set list and check the website for each of the rights holders.

[Deleted]

If the venue is already licensed then you’re covered. You don’t need any extra permissions to perform individual “cover versions” live.

Most village halls, community centres, pubs etc. already have the correct licence. Anywhere that live music is performed really.

I suppose if you were planning on a marquee in a field then you’d need to obtain your own licence.

[ThereWillBeSun]

I think you have to be quite careful re DISNEY but that may be an urban myth, my pal got stung as wasn't allowed to use Let It Go in a panto.

[firefingers]

May 11, 2021 18:11:35 GMT ThereWillBeSun said:

I think you have to be quite careful re DISNEY but that may be an urban myth, my pal got stung as wasn't allowed to use Let It Go in a panto.

Yes, if you want to use as more than a straight cover and do it in a show then you need to get the rights. Disney will gladly take your money, but woe betide you it you don't apply and cough up the cash. I think they just want to make sure there brand isn't damaged with cheep imitations. 

[TallPaul]

I've found this very informative page from a local(ish) theatre that is regularly hired for this type of production. It also explains the situation re Disney.

www.josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk/hiring/licensing-your-show/

I hope your venue is this helpful!

(And I've corrected the terrible spelling in my original post. I can only apologise. Unlike the JRT, at least I know the difference between 'head' and 'heard'.🙂)

[ThereWillBeSun]

May 11, 2021 21:56:50 GMT firefingers said:

May 11, 2021 18:11:35 GMT ThereWillBeSun said:

I think you have to be quite careful re DISNEY but that may be an urban myth, my pal got stung as wasn't allowed to use Let It Go in a panto.

Yes, if you want to use as more than a straight cover and do it in a show then you need to get the rights. Disney will gladly take your money, but woe betide you it you don't apply and cough up the cash. I think they just want to make sure there brand isn't damaged with cheep imitations. 

That's it - you articulated it really well. I didn't want to insult non-professional theatre!