Copyright permissions are the sole responsibility of the performing organization. For legal reasons, I must insist that all programs obtain copyright permissions BEFORE I begin work on your arrangements. It might be a pain, but it's the law and I don't want either one of us getting sued.

I can research this for you, for a fee, or you can simply research the publisher of the piece and contact them. Ask them to direct you to whoever can provide "copyright permissions to arrange."

There are many online resources to help you find publisher information, etc. Copycat Licensing can relieve you of the stress of obtaining permissions to arrange. For a flat fee, they'll do all the research, obtain the contracts, and get you all the information you need so you know who to pay. I highly recommend this service. It's worth every penny, and you can tell your principal that paying Copycat could save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars down the road, not to mention pesky legal issues.

You can reach the nice people at Copycat Licensing by visiting their website at:

www.copycatlicensing.com/