ClicknClear's Approval Portal is a service that offers the ability to make publishing-only approval requests for performing arts ensembles such as Marching Band, Show Choir, and others who need to make arrangements of songs for their routines.
The following video gives a quick overview:
ClicknClear's Approval Portal is designed to make the process getting the full set of specialist rights needed by such ensembles as easy as possible.
It has a very easy-to-use front end that allows you search for any work you want to arrange:
Simply click on the song you want from the alternatives displayed, you'll be asked a few more questions about your intended use, and then your request will be submitted.
Our efficient online requesting process ensures you get all the rights you need from 100% of the owners, and results in licenses that are compatible with our LVS music license verification system.
Find out more below!
Are you sure you are getting all the rights you need?
Ensembles of course need the rights to arrange a song, and make copies of it for training purposes, but they also need the rights to put choreography to the arrangement in the form of a routine, and to perform that routine with the arrangement.
Are you sure you are getting rights for the whole song?
The situation for would-be licensee's is further complicated by the fact that typically each song is controlled by several different publishers, each having a fraction of the ownership of the song. The worst case we have seen (so far) for this is Sicko Mode by Travis Scott, which has 30 different writers, some of whom own just a fraction of a percentage of the song but still need to grant approval for each use. In general a typical hit current song has an average of nine writers.
Find out more about fractional ownership, including a breakdown of Sicko Mode's ownership, in our blog What's More Sicko Mode than going to #1? The amount of people it takes to make the song in the first place!.
This fractional ownership causes a problem when seeking approval.
ClicknClear never licenses a song without having approvals from 100% of the song's owners.
An efficient online approval requesting process
ClicknClear is able to offer this service because our rights management database has the music industry publisher information and contact details for every song.
Our Approval Portal asks you some questions about your intended use, including your budget and timescale, and then automatically notifies each publisher who has ownership of the song.
We also offer features for the publishers that make it as easy as possible for them to deal with the request, including reminders as your deadline is getting near.
Each publisher having ownership of the song you've requested responds to the request, either approving, denying, or setting a specific price. Once all responses are in, we notify you of the result.
If your use has been approved, and you are happy to go ahead, you simply pay online or by wire transfer and then receive your license agreement.
Managing your music licenses
Your licenses are also automatically entered into our License Verification System (LVS).
LVS offers everyone in the ecosystem - from participants, organizations running competitions to regional, national, and international administrators - a tool to manage music licensing and provides a real-time picture of what music is being used in their organisation's competitions, all over the world if necessary. Competition organisers can then easily go ahead and license livestream and / or video on demand rights for their events.
Find out more about LVS, including a case study of its use, here.
Start using the Approval Portal for your marching band and show choir song requests now!