How do I obtain permission to use copyrighted songs in musicals or plays?
Answer Hi Chris, As with plays, the way to obtain permission to use copyrighted songs is to contact the publisher and request permission. Many music stores have records of the publishers of various songs. These days these records are be available on line. You can go to http://www.mpa.org/copyright/copyresc.html which is the website of the Music Publishers Association of the United States. This page has a Copyright Search Center that provides a step-by-step guide to researching the copyright holder or publisher of a piece of music. It also provides forms for obtaining permission from the publisher to arrange a piece of music or make copies of out-of-print music. I imagine that they should also be able to let you know if a song is in the public domain. Hope this helps, Chris.
