Licensing

Why Licensing Matters

Choosing a Band Charts Website

When purchasing professional band charts or musical arrangements, licensing is just as important as musical quality.

At GO-CHARTS, every arrangement in our catalogue is fully licensed, and the appropriate publisher royalties are paid on every sale. This means you can buy and perform our arrangements with confidence, knowing they have been produced legally and ethically.

What Does “Fully Licensed” Mean?

To create and sell an arrangement of a copyrighted song, an arranger must obtain permission from the copyright owner or their authorised representatives. In most cases, these rights belong to the songwriters, composers and publishers.

Obtaining these licences can be a lengthy process, and permission is not always granted. However, it is an essential part of producing legitimate musical arrangements.

GO-CHARTS has obtained the necessary licences for the arrangements in our catalogue and pays royalties through the relevant music publishers.

Why This Matters to Musicians

When you purchase a GO-CHARTS arrangement, part of the price you pay goes directly towards the royalty payments owed to the copyright holders. By buying licensed charts, you are supporting the composers, lyricists and publishers whose music you perform.

This is one of the key differences between GO-CHARTS and many unofficial chart sources online.

Performance Rights vs Print Rights

These are two separate issues:

  • Performance Rights allow music to be performed publicly. Venues, theatres, cruise lines and other performance organisations typically obtain these licences through the appropriate performing rights organisations.
  • Print Rights cover the creation and sale of printed or digital music arrangements. These licences are the responsibility of the arranger or publisher supplying the chart.

GO-CHARTS arrangements are supplied with the appropriate print licensing in place.

Why Buy Licensed Band Charts?

Professional musicians invest time, money and reputation into every performance. Using properly licensed band charts helps ensure that:

  • The arrangement has been produced legitimately.
  • Copyright holders receive the royalties they are entitled to.
  • You are purchasing from a professional source that operates within copyright law.
  • You can use the arrangement for your performances without concerns about the legality of the printed music itself.

A Professional Standard

At GO-CHARTS, we believe that professional-quality arrangements should also be professionally licensed. Our commitment to legal licensing sits alongside our commitment to accuracy, readability and musical authenticity.

Thousands of musicians, musical directors, cruise ship orchestras and tribute performers use GO-CHARTS arrangements because they know they are receiving charts that are both professionally written and properly licensed.

We invite you to browse our Catalogue of fully licensed arrangements, read our Endorsements from professional musicians, or contact us if you have any questions about licensing or commissioning a new arrangement.