CAML Review / Revue de l'ACBM (Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres / Association canadienne des bibliothèques, archives et centres de documentation musicaux)

CAML Editors

Index to the CAML Review / Revue de l'ACBM, v. 35

Jurkowski, Edward

Lutoslawski on Music (Book Review)

Stephen, J. Drew

Petite suite maritime (CD Review)

Keillor, Elaine

A Child’s Cry from Izieu: Oskar Morawetz, Complete Works for Violin and Piano (CD Review)

Philpott, Lisa

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Music Library Association Conference 
Newport, RI, February 2008 
 
by Lisa Philpott, University of Western Ontario 
 
 
Plenary Session 
 
One of the great pleasures of attending an MLA conference is the opportunity to encounter living 
history, through panel discussions involving local luminaries. Newport proved to be no exception, 
with a plenary session devoted to the history of the Newport Jazz Festival, dedicated to the memory 
of the late Elaine Lorillard. The Festival’s founder, George Wein, was in attendance, and “given his 
due” by several of the panel participants. We were treated to the opportunity to hear a recording, 
dubbed from an acetate, of the first Newport Jazz Festival (1954). Legendary Columbia Recordings 
producer George Avakian regaled the assemblage with fascinating reminiscences of jazz legends, 
recording snafus and a debunking of the “Newport Riots” which were said to have happened in 
1971. A subsequent session “A Conversation with George Wein, Founder of the Newport Jazz 
Festival” proved equally fascinating. Myself Among Others. A Life In Music is George Wein’s 
autobiography, written with Nate Chinen. Alas, Chinen had brought only one box of books, and the 
last one was sold as I approached the table! 
 
Music Licensing 
 
A session on music licensing provided a terrific overview of the state of music copyright, with 
practical examples. It included information about the Tams Witmark situation (where libraries can 
never acquire those titles); Indiana University’s VARIATIONS-III project, where institutions other 
than Indiana U will be able to access the digitized recordings and scores from the Variations2 
project; and the licensing needs of performing ensembles such as the U.S. Marine Band. For more 
information, visit the Major Orchestra Librarians site: http://www.mola-inc.org/   
 
For the most part, performing ensembles need to concern themselves only with Small Rights for 
the performance of musical sounds. Venues and broadcasters/transmitters need to apply for a 
Blanket Licences. Grand Rights are required when literary and/or visual components are 
combined with music. Jane Cross (U.S. Marine Band) described how a chorus was planning to 
add rocking chairs as a “prop” to their performance of a particular chorus, which would then 
have necessitated the purchase of Grand Rights. When making a recording, mechanical licensing 
is required; however, if your recording is for educational purposes, it doesn’t hurt to inquire 
whether there can be a reduction in the fee! You can expect a 90-day delay in the response to  
 
© 2008 The author and the Canadian Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and 
Documentation Centres/L’auteur et l’Association canadienne des bibliothèques, archives et 
centres de documentation musicaux. 
 
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your application for “free” licensing, which must include the release date, the duration of each 
recorded work, and the number of copies being made (sales numbers); or you can contact the Harry 
Fox Agency and simply pay the fee outright.   
 
Printed music has its own licensing requirements. If you wish to arrange a work, known as a 
Derivative Work, then you must contact the publisher/copyright holder to apply for a license. If  
the arrangement is approved, you can sign a contract and pay the fee. Cross cited an occasion where 
an arrangement of a Radiohead song was programmed and the options were to a) pay $40 and wait 3 
days for approval OR b) apply for approval and wait 90 days for a reply. Video materials are more 
complex, with additional layers of permission required, specifically synchronization rights which 
may be held by another party. Cross’s best advice?  Track your work using a spreadsheet, noting all 
actions taken, and the date.  Laurie Lake offered a Performing Ensemble Licensing Chart:  
http://ella.slis.indiana.edu/~lklake/MLALicensingChartJ.pdf
 
Pictures from the conference are printed on the inside of the back cover. 


English

Music Library Association conference report

Berger, Michael

This Isn’t Silence: Works for Symphony Orchestra by Brian Current (CD Review)

Hafner, Joseph

MLA Education Outreach Program report

Whidden, Lynn

Elaine Keillor’s review of Essential Song: Three Decades of Northern Cree Music

CAML conference report

Boyd, Alastair

Remain Calm! RDA, FRBR, and Music Libraries

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