averick Musicals & Plays not only bring to you award winning one act plays & musicals with interesting play scripts but also a guide to the various requirements of show business like copyright information & performance rights.
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Musicals & Play Scripts – Rights and Usage Guides
Copyright
Why copyright affects you
A poem, painting, musical score, computer program; all these are
valuable creations. The law regards all such original creative works as
copyright material. This means that the owner of the Copyright has a number of
rights which are protected under the
Copyright Act. All of Maverick musical's
and plays are covered by Copyright.
Copyright law has become increasingly complex over the years to
respond to a sophisticated communications environment. In this high-tech age,
there are many new ways of producing creative works as well as of imitating or
exploiting them without the owner's permission. The photocopier, videocassette
recorder, personal computer, and digital reproduction of songs are just a few
examples of modern devices that help artists communicate with their audiences,
but that also makes it harder to control unauthorized use.
Copyright
Protection
What is a copyright? - In the simplest terms, copyright means
the right to copy. Copyright applies to all
original literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. The
word original is key in defining a work that qualifies for copyright
protection.
Infringement
You're infringing copyright if you:
perform a musical or play without permission
copy anyone else's work without their
permission
don't pay an agent for public performances of a
musical, play or other type of production
don't pay a fee for photo-copying rights
(or buy scripts), for
rehearsal purposes
Examples of infringement:
Giving a public performance of a copyright play/musical without
permission
Photocopying material without permission
Examples of non-infringement:
Giving public performance of a play by Shakespeare (no copyright
exists)
Gaining permission from the author/agent and paying a fee
For a complete list of exceptions to infringement, refer to the
Copyright Act of your country.
Duration of Copyright
Copyright usually exists for the life of the author, the
remainder of the calendar year in which the author dies, and for 50-70 years
following the end of that calendar year. Therefore, protection will expire on
December 31st of the 50th-70th year, after which the work becomes part of the
public domain and anyone can use it. For example, Shakespeare's plays are part
of the public domain; everyone has an equal right to produce or publish them.
Royalties are sums paid to copyright owners as permission to use
them.
You do not have to pay royalties for a private performance, such
as playing music at home. But you do if you are holding a dance or concert,
since this is considered a public performance.
Performance royalties have to be paid for each and every
performance of a Maverick play or musical! So, the Copyright principles as applicable to Maverick
Musical's material could be short-listed thus:-
Copyright is to ensure protection for both our writers and
composers; their writing is their livelihood
The correct amount of rehearsal material must be purchased in
order to put on a production of any sort. A portion of a writer's income is
derived from their material sales.
Photo-copying is only available after permission has been given
by the publisher.
Each and every public performance, including charity
performances, attracts a royalty fee. Publishers and agents will always advise
the correct payment required upon application for performance rights.
A large cast musical cannot be performed using only one script
that has been photo-copied without exchanging a fee for that right. Without
permission this is, in effect, stealing.
Always ensure that you apply for the performance rights before
you start your rehearsals.
Nothing could be easier than performing any of Maverick's musicals or plays. The Copyright for all Maverick Musicals material
is owned 100% by Maverick Musicals and if you follow these easy steps, you can't
go wrong.....
Using our perusal service, order up to three titles at a time,
until you decide on the right show for your group
Order your set of band-parts or MIDI files, piano score and
CD. Since you can't photo-copy the piano and vocal score
order an extra copy if you need one.
[more info]
Complete the
Copyright paperwork (Production Details Form). [more
info]
Once these steps have been followed, you may start your
rehearsals! It's important to remember that permission to perform any of
Maverick's shows must be sought before your rehearsals commence.
Those little extras....
Worried about your first production? Check out our
guides page where you can request a copy of our free
rehearsal guide - Putting On Your First Musical - it includes a complete eight
week rehearsal schedule, the specifics of how to choose the right musical for
your group, how to form your production committee and many more tips to help
make your show a box office smash!
And never hesitate to call us about anything at all to do with
any of our shows. Our job is to help you in any way that we can - phone, fax or
e-mail us, no matter how unusual your request, we'll try our best to assist.
Footnotes
1.All of our
titles are now available on our photo-copying scheme; this means that instead of
buying multiple copies of the script for your rehearsals, we sell you one master
loose-leaf copy of the script (hard copy or email) in exchange for a fee. This
fee entitles you to copy the master script as many times as you need for your
rehearsal purposes. Much more flexible and heaps cheaper! Part of a writer's
income is derived from script sales; to mount a large cast production, either
multiple copies must be bought or a copying fee paid for your rehearsal copies.
You are breaking the law of Copyright if you do not comply.
[BACK]
2.
Please note that we always sell
complete sets of the band-parts for each show, complete with conductor's score.
WE CANNOT SPLIT BAND-PARTS into separate instrumentation. The parts are all
brand-new copies for each sale; you'll never see someone else's pencilled in
notations on our music!* You may copy the appropriate number of copies for each
player in your band sections from this master set of parts; for example, you may
have five clarinet players, three alto sax, etc. [BACK]
3. This is automatically sent to you when you order your rehearsal
material. Return this to Maverick Musicals as soon as you can. This
ensures that your show is booked into our computer and that your Copyright
has been granted. It is illegal to actually perform any show without this
Copyright license in place. [BACK]
averick Musicals & Plays not only bring to you award winning one act plays & musicals with interesting play scripts but also a guide to the various requirements of show business like copyright information & performance rights.
