Hello! I have a question regarding the copyright laws for music used during the Pre-Show portion of our show. To clarify, this is during the 5 min set up (warm-up) before the actual 8 min performance begins. I understand there is not to be any recorded music during the 8 minute performance. I wanted clarification on using a song not found in the public domain. However, we have purchased the song on Apple Music. Do we still need to buy the rights to use this song during the Pre-Show portion of our marching show? We are using about a minute of the song. I have searched everywhere on the UIL site but I have not found the answer yet. If anyone could please provide any clarification, that would be awesome! THANK YOU.
Re: Pre Show Question
Posted by DesertJazz on 9/20/2025, 8:01 pm, in reply to "Pre Show Question"
Beagle gave you the copyright compliant info below. I would also give you the suggestion that Audioblocks.com. There you can license a lot of tracks for purposes like this with a subscription. It's been a great way to make preshows and there's a wide variety of content on their site that you can search by style and mood. (Also great for sound effects)
Re: Pre Show Question
Posted by Beagle on 9/19/2025, 9:37 am, in reply to "Pre Show Question"
You do NOT own the rights to play the song just because you bought it on Apple Music. The reason UIL doesn't have guidance is because this is copyright law, not UIL.
You need broadcast rights from the copyright holder - which you may not be able to obtain in time for this season. I would suggest that you follow the law here and obtain permission before using the song a single time in public - otherwise this is actionable.
