The collegiate Christian a cappella community could use a central site for explanation & discussion about copyright issues, so why not here?
For now, we have a frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) list about licensing for Christian a cappella groups.
Ideas for stuff to go here:
- a brief explanation of copyright laws, as we best understand them ("we" being that Christian a cappella community thing), and how they affect us
- a couple of example license-obtaining scenarios for a couple of example songs
Some good music licensing-related links:
- Kohn on Music Licensing
- Definitely check this site out; it offers gobs of links, some good services (including an online conference area), and information regarding the authors' book about licensing. Even though its original purpose is advertising for the book, this site is extremely useful.
- Find that copyright owner! Look for song titles in any of the following performing rights organizations' song databases
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- ASCAP's "ACE" database of song titles, or
- BMI's hyper-repertoire (it gets too much sugar).
- Get that mechanical license! Contact
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- The Harry Fox Agency; they handle mechanical licensing for a large list of songs.