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Morris and Performing Rights (and Sharpe)
I was humming to myself in the kitchen this evening and thinking that 'Eleanor Rigby' would be a great Border Morris tune (and 'Yellow Submarine' would be great for North West). Which set me wondering why morris sides actually use very little modern music - then it struck me that the reason might well be performing rights.
I have no idea what the cost/paperwork would be for using a popular tune to dance to, but as morris dancers are often dancing for free (or for a charity collection), I'm not sure if the cost would be something they could afford.
Does anyone know what the likely costs would be? And does it make any difference whether you're playing a record or performing your own arrangement of the song?
If I play 'The Girl I left Behind me', then I have the great advantage of knowing it's out of copyright.
Incidentally, Sharpe fans with a keen ear will hear many popular morris tunes on the soundtrack. That's because a lot of popular morris tunes originate from the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Soldiers from all over the country fought in Wellington's army. They marched to the same songs and took them back home again afterwards. They used them for the morris, and the tunes gained a long lease of life.
I have no idea what the cost/paperwork would be for using a popular tune to dance to, but as morris dancers are often dancing for free (or for a charity collection), I'm not sure if the cost would be something they could afford.
Does anyone know what the likely costs would be? And does it make any difference whether you're playing a record or performing your own arrangement of the song?
If I play 'The Girl I left Behind me', then I have the great advantage of knowing it's out of copyright.
Incidentally, Sharpe fans with a keen ear will hear many popular morris tunes on the soundtrack. That's because a lot of popular morris tunes originate from the time of the Napoleonic Wars. Soldiers from all over the country fought in Wellington's army. They marched to the same songs and took them back home again afterwards. They used them for the morris, and the tunes gained a long lease of life.