Licensing Medleys for Recording

Subject: Licensing Medleys for Recording
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 01:47 AM

A friend of mine wants to record a medley of three songs, one from the 1860's, and two that were written after 1970. How does she handle licensing for a medley? If she goes to Harry Fox Agency, does she have to pay full price for each of the two songs?
Does she need special permission to combine songs like that?

-Joe-

Subject: RE: Licensing Medleys for Recording
From: pavane
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 03:43 AM

Didn't we have a thread on this very recently?

The result, I think, was

a) Harry Fox agency specifically say that they do not licence medleys
b) But everyone seems to have adopted the strategy of paying for each tune separately, and no-one has ever been queried on it.

Subject: RE: Licensing Medleys for Recording
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 09:54 PM

I found the previous discussion here (click) (Copyright/singing/publishing/add lyrics).
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Licensing Medleys for Recording
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 29 Jan 09 - 10:04 PM

Joe - I have recorded two 3-song medleys, and I pay for each individual song.

In one of them, I pay one author - Bill Staines - personally, and the other two through Harry Fox.

And in the other instance all 3 are paid through Harry Fox.

Hope this helps.

Seamus

Oh yeah, on the CD recording, the songs are played consecutively with key-changes,etc., but I've put an ID at the end of each song, so that a listener can play each song individually if so desired.
This would probably also solve the Harry Fox ban on medleys.