If you perform music in public, or play recorded music in public, such as at a
club; restaurant; concert; on the radio; or streaming on the web; you may
need to obtain Public Performance Rights. You do not need to license songs that
you wrote yourself or songs that you know are in the
Public Domain.
Small indie artists and DJs performing at private events often do not need to
secure Public Performance Rights becuase they are covered by the venue. K12
educators do not need to obtain rights for school performances. Church leaders
should contact CCLI.com, an
organization that caters especially to churches for various licensing needs,
including Public Performance.
Radio
station operators, bars, clubs, retail stores, and web site administrators need
to secure Public Performance rights. Expect to report your playlists and pay a
percentage of your revenues to three agencies that distribute the royalties to the
composers.
In the United States, all Public Performance Rights are handled by three
agencies. If you are unsure whether you need Public Performance Rights, you
should contact these agencies:
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