LibGuides: Copyright: How to Get Permission to Use Copyrighted Material

Finding Copyright Holders

U.S. Copyright Office Online Records Catalog
Searchable database of works registered with the U.S. Copyright Office from Jan. 1, 1978 to the present.
Music Publishers Association of the United States Copyright Resource Center
"Do you need publisher/copyright contact information to locate a piece of music or to obtain the necessary permission to perform or arrange it? You’ve come to the right place." Intended as a guide for locating the publisher of a piece of music.

Licensing Agencies

Licensing agencies are companies that handle the purchase of licenses to copyrighted works without having to contact the copyright owner directly.

Copyright Clearance Center: Marketplace
Copyright Clearance Center offers pay-per-use permission services for academic uses of books, journal articles, and other literary works.

Music Licensing

Much of the licensing of performance rights for musical works published in the United states happens through the following three agencies: ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC (links below). Performance licenses cover uses related to the public performance of copyrighted music, such as concert performances or playing a musical recording in a public space.

ASCAP (The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers)
"ASCAP licenses the public performances of its members' musical works. A public performance is one that occurs either in a public place where people gather (other than a small circle of a family or social acquaintances). A public performance is also one that is transmitted to the public, for example, radio or TV broadcasts, and via the Internet."
BMI
"BMI is the bridge between songwriters and the businesses and organizations that want to play their music publicly. As a global leader in music rights management, BMI serves as an advocate for the value of music, representing over 18.7 million musical works created and owned by more than 1.2 million songwriters, composers and music publishers."
SESAC
"SESAC currently licenses the public performances of more than 1 million songs on behalf of its 30,000 affiliated songwriters, composers and music publishers...."

Harry Fox Agency offers mechanical licenses for the reproduction and distribution of musical works. This includes digital licenses for uses such as streaming or digital downloads.

Movie Licensing

Motion Picture Licensing Corporation
The Motion Picture Licensing Corporation grants public performance rights for movies.
Swank
Swank licenses and distributes movie content to non-theatrical markets.