Competitors at this year’s Brass in Concert Championship have been given a strongly worded reminder of the correct guidance they must follow in respect to any music they will perform in their programmes at the entertainment contest on the 16th November.

Comprehensive

Each band has been sent a comprehensive information pack covering all aspects of the organisation and running of the event — including extensive explanation on new music arrangements, copyright and performance permissions.

Concern has grown over the last couple of years that bands may not have fully understood (or have chosen to perhaps ignore) the possible legal ramifications of performing pieces where the correct permission has not been granted.

Rules

Keen to ensure there is no possible misunderstanding over the legal position regarding the music performed, the contest organisers have now made it clear: the rules stating that it is the responsibility of bands to have full permission to perform and record all non published materials.

Furthermore, they state that failure to obtain permission ‘may lead to disqualification from the competition and/or prosecution by the party whose copyright is being infringed’.

Resilient

The bands are further reminded that they will have to be ‘resilient and persistent in some instances as copyright clearance can take a while. Leave plenty of time to make your application or your Brass in Concert programme may be compromised’.

Bands will now need to submit the appropriate licences, documentation and permissions with their final programme choice 21 days before the event, whilst any material to be used on the large overhead must also be copyright free.

Help

To help the competitors overcome any potential problems, the organisers have asked Phillip Littlemore, who has extensive experience of the music publishing industry and is a respected arranger and publisher in his own right, to provide advice.

This is an excellent lead taken by the Brass in Concert organisers, which ensures all the bands know where they stand. There can’t be any excuse for not obtaining the correct permissions — and on timeBand Manager

No excuse

As one Band Manager told 4BR today: "This is an excellent lead taken by the Brass in Concert organisers, which ensures all the bands know where they stand. There can’t be any excuse for not obtaining the correct permissions — and on time.

Every band wants to try something new at the contest, but it must be done properly. I’m sure Philip Littlemore will be a busy man!"