The Christchurch Schools’ Music Festival Association works very hard to make sure we meet our copyright obligations in regard to the printing of music (into our Song Books and Accompaniment Books) and the performing of that music.
Copyright FAQs
What is a OneMusic licence?
Under the Copyright Act (1994), an educational establishment can perform or play music in the course of its activities, but only to an audience of students or staff. Any other audience, including parents, is considered a ‘public performance’ and requires a licence. The Copyright Act also provides limited provisions for copying music, with any copying beyond these provisions requiring additional permissions.
The OneMusic School Music Licence ‘tops up’ the rights provided to schools under the Copyright Act, allowing schools to make the most of music.
This OneMusic Licence is administered by Te Whakarōputanga Kaitiaki Kura o Aotearoa – New Zealand School Boards Association and is also referred to as the ‘Hear More’ licence option. The licence must be renewed annually and must cover your entire school roll.
More information is available here:
https://www.onemusicnz.com/music-licences/schools/
https://www.getlicensed.co.nz/licence-options/hear-more/
https://www.tewhakaroputanga.org.nz/our-services-2/copyright-licensing
How does the OneMusic School Music Licence apply to the Festival?
When we come together to perform in the Town Hall each year, that is considered a ‘public performance’ and requires the extra coverage provided by the OneMusic licence. The extra coverage also allows us to create the materials (Song and Accompaniment Books) you use to learn and rehearse the songs in your schools.
Can my school choir perform any of the Festival songs in a school concert, showcase, or assembly?
The Festival team works hard to make sure that we meet our copyright obligations so that we can create the Song and Accompaniment Books for your learning/rehearsing, and so that we can perform the songs when we come together in the Town Hall.
Performing Festival songs to other students and staff for the purpose of practising performing the song(s) is acceptable. Regardless of copyright, make sure not to give away too much – we want people to come to see us perform these songs in the Town Hall!
Any use outside of this context may be a breach of copyright.
Can we use the Learning Tracks (including piano-only versions) in performing a Festival song(s) in a school concert, showcase, or assembly?
As mentioned above, the Festival team works hard to make sure we meet our copyright obligations for the material we create for us in the context of the Festival only.
Using the Learning Tracks (including the piano-only versions) to help you perform a Festival song (or songs) to other students or staff in order to practise performing the song(s) is acceptable.
Any other use of the Learning Tracks (including piano-only versions) may be a breach of copyright.
Can we photocopy any of the Festival material?
No – the sheet music contained with the Festival Song and Accompaniment Books are not deemed as ‘originals’, therefore you cannot photocopy them under any photocopying scheme/allowance such as that specified in the OneMusic Music in Schools Licence. Please contact our Business Manager if you need more Books.
At the end of a Festival season, can we keep the Accompaniment and Song Books and use them for school performances?
Each student can keep their copy of the Song Book as a souvenir if they wish. Please keep in mind that the copyright restrictions on the Festival materials (Books, Learning Tracks) do not lapse at the conclusion of a Festival season/year.
What if we want to perform a Festival song(s) outside of the context of rehearsing for and performing in the Festival itself?
We suggest that your school purchases an original of the sheet music for the song(s) for its own use. Under the OneMusic School Music Licence, a school only needs to purchase one original of sheet music for a song which allows it to make as many copies of it as they wish (this rule replaced the old 5:1 photocopy ratio rule in 2019). Most of the original sheet music for the Festival songs can be purchased from the likes of J.W. Pepper, Musicnotes.com, or another online sheet music retailer.
After you’ve purchased your own originals of the sheet music, you may find it easier to continue using the Festival versions of the songs as we often adapt and arrange them to better suit our students.
What are we paying for when we pay for the Song and Accompaniment Books from the Festival?
The money from the purchases of the Song and Accompaniment Books is to cover the cost of printing the books.