Earlier this week, Dhurandhar title track at the Winter Olympics made headlines in India, throwing a spotlight on the global sporting event and its penchant for using trending and iconic songs in the figure skating event. However, it has not been all rosy for figure skaters trying to use popular songs for their routines this year.
A new report highlights how copyright issues have been plaguing skaters through the Milan Cortina Olympics, with many having to scramble for approvals, and others ditching their well-laid-out plans altogether.
Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate made headlines last week as he attempted to obtain approval to use music from the animated film Minions in his routine. He eventually got the approval just days before his performance. Others have not been so fortunate. AP reported that Russian skater Petr Gumennik had to alter his short program two days before the event. He failed to get permission to use music from the film Perfume: The Story of a Murderer.
Canadian musician Seb McKinnon was surprised to learn that American skater Amber Glenn had been using his music in her free skate for two years. His song, “The Return,” was even part of her routine that helped the American team clinch its gold medal last week. Eventually, they negotiated and resolved the issue.
Speaking to AP about the new issues, Canadian ice dancer Piper Gilles said, “Even now, we don’t really understand what we can and can’t use, but we’re all working through that. Everybody is trying to get on the same page, but it does make it harder.”
Why are copyright problems happening?
The International Skating Union long forbade the use of lyrics in any discipline except ice dance. This meant that performers used classical music like piano concertos, which are mostly in the public domain and were free to use without permission. But in 2014, the ISU lifted its ban on the use of lyrics in the hope of appealing to younger audiences. This suddenly allowed skaters and dancers to use contemporary popular music, ranging from hip-hop and pop to even Bollywood and heavy metal.
But with this, permissions are required. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, when American skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier performed to a cover of House of the Rising Sun, they were sued for using it without permission.
Why is the approval process so complex?
Obtaining permission to use these songs is not easy, figure skaters have discovered. It’s not just the performers who need to approve, but also the writers of the song, the publisher, and even the recording label, all of whom hold the copyright. At times, the list can even include a movie studio if the tune was used in a film.
Depending on the music, different licenses might also be needed for the music to be played in the venue, broadcast on television and used online.
“My experience has been chaos. First, we get a website or some sort of application to track things. And then once we’re like, ‘OK, yeah, it’s cleared. It’s good,’ suddenly it’s not a reliable source anymore. OK, then what do we do?” Glenn told AP.
