Who gets the credit when a musical overture is written?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Who gets the credit when a musical overture is written?
I was hired recently in Vermont to arrange a musical that was written 20 years ago. The composer provided lyrics and basic chord structures. I have been given permission to make whatever changes I feel appropriate to make the musical work better as a whole. I have written an overture about 100 measures that uses snippets from 3 or 4 pieces in the musical. Maybe 20 measures has material directly related to the original pieces and the rest is my derivations, interlude, etc, that I wrote. May I take credit for composing the overture, or do I still list myself as arranger. Thank you for your help.
Asked on March 3, 2019 under Business Law, Vermont
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
There are three different issues here:
1) Who owns the intellectual property (e.g. copyright) to the work? Since you were hired to create it, the rights belong to the person who hired you.
2) Who decides who is listed as what on the "official" publication of the work (e.g. on theatre playbills)? That would be the person who owns the rights, though if there is any agreement stating what credit you get, that is enforceable (if there is no agreement to this effect, the rights owner can decide).
3) Can you tell people that you composed the work or call yourself its composer in your CV or resume? Yes, unless you have an agreement stating the official credit you may take. Otherwise, you can decide how to describe the work you did on anything but the official materials for this play or belonging to the rights owner.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.