No. Members of PRS can apply to PRS for Music to have royalties waived for a piece across all areas. But they cannot waive rights on a one off basis.
Generally no. However, if the composer is a member of a PRS for Music affiliated society or intends to join PRS for Music you may have to pay royalties (back dated royalties can be claimed for approximately 6 months).
You must pay royalties fess for that concert. Royalty fees are paid per concert rather than based on the actual piece of music. So if you perform a concert with 10 pieces, 1 of which is in copyright, then you must pay royalty fees for that concert. See payment questions below for more on how fees are calculated.
No – if you are not performing any music in copyright you do not have to pay royalty fees.
A quick internet search will usually give you the information you need. The Classical Composers Database is also a good reference point and gives a good overview of the dates of the major classical composers.
If you are unsure the best thing to do is contact the publisher directly, if they cannot be contacted the Music Publishers Association and PRS for Music are the next best people to contact.
In the UK a piece of music is usually in copyright for until 70 years after year of the composer’s death. It is important to note that copyright relates to re-arrangements and collections too. So if the composer of a piece has been dead for 150 years but you are using a re-arranged edition and the re-arranger is alive, or has been dead for less than 70 years, it is in copyright. You can find out more in our full PRS guidance.
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