# If you purchase sheet music, do you have the right to perform it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 29, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-purchase-sheet-music-do-you-have-the-right-to-perform-it/544941 "2010-06-29T15:40:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-purchase-sheet-music-do-you-have-the-right-to-perform-it/544941/1 "2010-06-29T15:40:43Z")
I’m a little confused about performance rights. If I’ve rightly bought a set of sheet music (I get that photocopies are probably bad) does it generally come with the rights to perform it? To make money off your performance? What about recording? What about arrangements of songs in the public domain? (Obviously the arrangement itself is under copyright.) ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-purchase-sheet-music-do-you-have-the-right-to-perform-it/544941/2 "2010-06-29T15:44:39Z")
You can perform it, but not for public. Only in private. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-purchase-sheet-music-do-you-have-the-right-to-perform-it/544941/3 "2010-06-29T15:53:57Z")
So how do you get the right to perform it? Are performers mostly breaking the law? Is it even possible that, say, a pianist in a bar has the right to perform his whole repertoire? And take requests? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-purchase-sheet-music-do-you-have-the-right-to-perform-it/544941/4 "2010-06-29T16:06:39Z")
The first or second page usually has the copyright info, and the agent’s address, and stuff like that. Get in touch with them and they’ll give you the details. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-purchase-sheet-music-do-you-have-the-right-to-perform-it/544941/5 "2010-06-29T16:12:04Z")
Most venues that have music also have licensing agreement with one or more major licensing organizations. They pay a fee, and in return are allowed to play or have played anything in the catalog at their location. Think there are three major licensing outfits–ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC, and between them, they control the rights to most major songs. IIRC, SESAC, while slightly smaller than the other two, has the rights to Dylan’s stuff. [Wiki Link](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_license) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-purchase-sheet-music-do-you-have-the-right-to-perform-it/544941/6 "2010-06-29T16:18:55Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > So how do you get the right to perform it? Are performers mostly breaking the law? Is it even possible that, say, a pianist in a bar has the right to perform his whole repertoire? And take requests? In the U.S., generally the venue pays an annual fee to [BMI/ASCAP](http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-licensing3.htm) for public performance rights. On preview, I see **Oakminster** has addressed this. My link is a quicker read, however. 😛