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Music and Copyright: Performance and Live Stream

This guide supports professional and curricular activities of performing artists and creators in the Departments of Theatre Arts and Dance and the School of Music.
Performance and Live Stream Licensing

Licensing for Live Performance and Live Streaming

There are several Performance Rights Organizations (PROs) that provide licensing for live performance+synchronous live stream. Licensing payments fund artist royalties. These groups offer blanket licenses, renewable on an annual basis, that cover the use of their entire catalogs or licensing of individual works.

The University of Iowa has blanket licenses (or "small rights") for live performance of non-theatrical works with ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. Any performance with theatrical elements, such as acting, sets, and choreography requires grand rights and must be licensed on a work-by-work basis.

If a performance will be pre-recorded and streamed at a specific date and time or distributed on the UI School of Music YouTube channel, it is NOT a live stream but a recording. Please consult the page on Licensing Recordings for more information.

Performing Rights Organizations (PROs)

Music Librarian

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Katie Buehner
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Contact: Website
Subjects: Dance, Music, Theatre Arts