Stu McIntire wrote:
I would appreciate someone pointing me to a resource that tells how best to
go about getting permission to set a published poem to music, with the
expectation that the resulting piece will be performed and published
eventually, even if just by me.
I'm not sure quite what you mean by a resource, but what you need to do
is to determine whether the poem is subject to copyright, if it is, then
to determine the identity of the copyright administrator or owner, and
contact the administrator or owner seeking permission. Since you specify
that the poem has already been published, the first place to start is
with the copyright and permissions department of the publisher of the
version you have; they should be able to advise you if they control the
copyright, or whether it is controlled by another entity, and if it is
controlled by another entity, the contact information for that entity.
If there is any doubt or uncertainty in your mind about the work, you
might want to dig further; I have had the experience of an entity
claiming copyright when, in fact, they were not entitled to copyright in
the work; the work was in the public domain.
Keep in mind, to, that permission to reproduce a copyright item, simply
conveys permission to make a copy of the words of the poem. The issue of
performing the material, while not entirely unrelated, is a different
matter, and would involve separate permission.
ns
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