Royalties & Copyright

How Much Are Performance Royalties?

It is common for quality musicals to charge a performance fee in addition to the cost of the musical script, musical score or accompaniment tracks. In fact we have seen musicals selling for $500 that also require $250 performance royalties per performance.

We want to make it easy and affordable for churches, schools and organizations of all sizes to be able to enjoy A Mouse Christmas so we have chosen to price it low and keep additional performance royalties minimal. In fact, we deliver everything you need to put on your performance – including performance rights for your first performance as part of your initial price. Additional performances require a minimal performance royalty so that we may compensate the playwrights, composers and offer more exceptional musicals for your enjoyment.

Because many churches enjoy A Mouse Christmas so much that they want to do it year after year, we have created a simple and affordable rate chart for subsequent performance royalties. It’s easy to see, based on the size of your congregation, school or audience, how much each performance beyond your first one will cost.

All additional performance royalties are due 30 days from the time of the performance. But you can pay any time before the performance if you wish.

Additional Performance Royalty Rates

1. Click the cheese block.
2. Enter the quantity of the number of additional performances after your initial included one.

Audience/Congregation Size	0-100	101-300	301-1000	1001+
Initial Performance	Included	Included	Included	Included
Additional Performances	$50 each	$100 each	$150 ea	$200 ea

Note: If your organization is actually unable to
afford these rates, please contact us. (Matthew 7:11)

How Do I Pay additional Performance Royalties?

You can pay online right now with any major credit card via PayPal by clicking the appropriate button link in the table above.

To Pay by Check: Simply make out your check to:
Aardvark Hill
235 Park Ave.
Eugene, OR 97404

Please note it as “Performance Royalties” and include your Invoice number, organization, and/or customer name.

How many scripts do I have to buy?

All our plays provide you with a master script that you can make as many copies of as you need for your productions. All cast, crew, people working on set design, costuming, blocking, props, lights, sound and stage effects, and PR people can have their own copy to work from and makes notes on… no additional fees or per copy charge is required.

Can I give or loan my master or copies or CD’s to another organization?

No. Your organization is granted performance rights to perform the work which are solely granted to it and are non-transferable.
Photocopying scripts or performing copyrighted works without permission and due compensation to the publishers/composers/playwrites of a work is stealing. If you duplicate a script, or give it to another person or organization for their use, you are taking something that belongs to the copyright owner and playwright. You are also breaking federal and international copyright law.

We are required by law to make sure that a playwright’s and composer’s works are used legally. For that reason, we check to make sure sufficient scripts have been purchased before granting performance rights. Anyone found to be in violation of this is prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

If take our obligation to federal and international copyright laws seriously, good composers and playwrights will be willing to let us publish their properties, and we will be able to offer more exceptional quality plays to you.

When is a royalty payment required?

A royalty is due any time all or part of a play is performed in front of any size audience, whether or not admission is charged. This includes school assemblies, church and church related performances, or city/community events, and audience-attended “dress rehearsals.”

Payment of a royalty fee and receiving performance rights means that you have permission to use and perform the copyright holder/playwright’s property. The copyright holder/playwright is entitled to be paid whether or not you choose to charge admission. Most of our customers are schools, churches or other non-profit organizations. Our prices are set with these types of groups in mind, and all are expected to pay royalties.

Your purchase includes your first performance royalty in the purchase prices. Additional performances, during the same year or in subsquent years requrie a small royalty fee to receive additional performance rights for each additional performance. There are no additional fees for replacement or new copies of the scripts or rehearsal Tracks CD’s that you need to make each time.

Why do I have to pay a royalty if I’m not charging admission?

Payment of a royalty fee and receiving performance rights means that you have permission to use and perform the copyright holder/playwright’s property. The playwright is entitled to be paid whether or not you choose to charge admission. Most of our customers are schools, churches or other non-profit organizations. Our prices are set with these types of groups in mind, and all are required expected to pay royalties for additional performances.

If I’m not performing the play, do I have to pay royalties?

A royalty is due any time all or part of a play is performed in front of any size audience, whether or not admission is charged. This includes school assemblies and audience-attended “dress rehearsals.” If no audience of any size watches your play, then no royalty is due.

Can I cut, edit or change a play in any way?

We are more flexible than most publishing companies regarding our customers making changes to one of our plays or musicals to have it better meet their needs. We typically will easily approve changes like changing the gender of a character to fit your cast needs, adding in local references of names or places, or even additional lines to add humor. Adding or cutting lines to accommodate your time constraints is also quite possible as long as it does not change the plot or intent of the playwright in any way.

Since our scripts and music is all copyrighted, all changes must be presented in writing and approved by Aardvark Hill/copyright holder before your production. All such approvals are for your use only. At our discretion submissions may be evaluated for possible inclusion into future releases of the work. If such inclusion ever occurs you must agree to grant Aardvark Hill sole copyright and ownership of any such inclusion of line, original songs or ideas you present for approval.

In order for us to approve them, they must essentially become ours or the legalities and royalties become very complex and that is not something we are able to consider.

Can I burn extra copies for my cast of the CDs in the CD Set?

Yes, as long as you have acquired production rights by letting us know the number of performances you’re planning and the dates of the production, you’re welcome to burn extra copies of your CD’s for you and your cast and crew. In fact, we recommend that you make an extra copy of your performance CD immediately, as a backup for your opening performance. You may make as many rehearsal CDs with the singing/lyrics as you need for each cast member so they can learn the songs on their own.

Further you may keep these copies in your church or school library for future use provided that you pay the appropriate performance royalties at that time and that you in no way make or allow them to be available to other churches or schools, organizations… that have not themselves purchased their own licences copies of any materials. To make it simple, you can give any school, church or organization that is interested in performing any of our plays our web address, phone number or other contact information. And please do! 😉

Can I add Disney or other popular music to one of your plays?

No. It is illegal to change, modify, add to any copyrighted work without the express written permission of the copyright owner. Why? Because doing so, if it becomes commonly available, forces us to enforce our copyright in order to protect it from other people making un-authorized changes, and to keep you or any person who has mad any changed from claiming that they have become “co-composers/playwright” of our original work, and thus being legally entitle to financial compensation.

In addition, Any material added to one of our plays (if you are granted express written permission), must be in the public domain, meaning it is not encumbered by any copyright and can be freely used by any member of the general public. Thus, music by any pop star or music group is also out of the question unless you obtain express written permission from the copyright holder of the song for such use and arrange payment of royalties to them separately. Generally, all classical music is in the public domain and can be used quite effectively to enhance the mood of your play, but not ours, without prior written permission.

May I videotape the performance?

Friends and family are always welcome to make audio or video recordings of your performance for their own personal use/viewing. You may also use in house staff or bring in a videotaping company to produce videos that you or they then sell at cost.

There are two instances where you will need contact us to recive additional permission and pay addtional performance royalties:

1. If the audio recording (cassette or CD’s) or video recording (tapes or DVD’s) are to be sold for a profit (even a small one) then you will need to pay a per copy royalty fee of 20% of the retail price or $50 minimum (which ever is higher).
2. If you wish to show your video as a public performance or on cable or local television or radio broadcast. In either of these circumstances, please call our office to make arrangements.
   

Our local cable station wants to broadcast my performance. Is that okay?

We are always excited and pleased to hear when you have and opportunity for a small “taste of fame.” Depending on the market size, we typically ask that you pay just one additional performance royalty for unlimited broadcasting rights. If you are doing a larger, regional or national broadcast, please contact us for additional performance royalty information.