Music - clubs, classes, the LAW

Hello all.

I am seeking some information on starting a club and doing introductory classes on the
ukulele (as a part of that club). So I would like to pick the brains and get experiences and suggestions from the folks who have been there and done that.

1) Starting a club.
I do not see using tabs and chord sheets for club meetings as this would be a private setting and not performing for the public. The issue come from what do we do when we would perform? Would I need licenses from the Performing Rights Organizations?

2) Class
I would like to get a regular (quarterly) intro class started with the help of a local music store. Again, the use of tabs and chord sheets. Is there a licensing issue here? This would not really be a performance, but the public would be there to learn as well as be in the store, perhaps.

3) Awareness gigs like for schools and libraries
These would be a public performance, I would imagine. Again PRO's?

I would wonder how invasive a small ukulele club would be to the big music industry, but I would owe it to myself and other to "do it right".

If anyone has any experiences you would like to share, or advice, I warmly welcome it.

Thanks.

IANAL, but I believe that making copies for education use falls under "fair use" and is therefore allowable under U.S. copyright law.

JJ

IANAL either, but generally with any public performance it is not the performer who pays any licensing, it is the venue.

Our uke group makes liberal use of chord sheets, song lyrics, etc. printed out from the internet. I think educational use is the key. If you aren't trying to make money at it, they probably won't care....

mailman said:

Our uke group makes liberal use of chord sheets, song lyrics, etc. printed out from the internet. I think educational use is the key. If you aren't trying to make money at it, they probably won't care....

Click to expand...

Or likely they'd never even know. I would think if it's a club with no fees/dues, it would be reasonable to charge photocopying expenses (you'd be nuts to print out multiple copies on an inkjet, photocopies are generally cheaper than ink). If you're charging for lessons, then I think a few pages could be included in the fee.

There's always public domain. Lots of folk songs and stuff that people are already familiar with so they're easier for people to grasp than tunes they don't know.

Thank you all for your advice. I appreciate it very much.

Check out the Ukulele Resources thread, lots of stuff you can download. It has a lot of info and links to anything ukulele.

In the UK, if it is for educational use, you may use it, but if you want to play a commercially available recorded resource, there is a time limit of 30 seconds. Photocopying or printing off the net is not permissible at any stage, but to be honest, nobody really cares and it'd be a difficult one for the publishers to prosecute if it was for educational use as the press'd have a field day.

Venues like churches and libraries and schools need to have their own public performance licenses - it's not your responsibility. Also applies to shops - a chain of car mechanics in the UK (Kwick-Fit), got fined £200,000 for not having a license to play their radio whilst they worked as the public who used the garages could hear it too.