Hello all,

I am looking to raise money for a local good cause by holding a Mama Mia singalong evening. On the retail DVD, there is a special singalong version which would be perfect for this event.

At the start of the DVD, it obviously mentions that it can only be used for private viewing, so I imagine I would need some sort of licence for the event. Does anybody have any experience with these and how much they would cost?

Thank you,

Peter.

Your best bet would to get a CD+G or Karaoke DVD version as these don't have as many restrictions.

You'd also need a venue with a PRS & PPL licence (not cheap for a one off event but pubs & clubs have them already) and a licence for music & dancing (most venues have them already as well.)

That's what I was looking for, thanks!

I've just had a quick look and it's only £10.47 for fewer than 500 attendees, which seems fair enough. I would imagine I would also need a suitable DVD which is authorised for public events.

Thanks,

Peter.

If memory serves correct it's something stupid like £5000 per minute or something like that. Depends on the owner of the IP though

Will there be TV coverage?

If not, just use the retail DVD. Who's gonna know, and even if they do, it's a charity event. They're not going to walk up and make that sucking noise through their teeth "ssss, Eeeh, you know Peter, you owe me £6k for that".

I would.

In these circumstances I see no other suitable course of action other than to confidently and brazenly break the law, go on, live a little

A proper Karaoke DVD would cost you no more that £25

Sorry, I don't think I described what I was wanting to do very well.

Basically, I want to show a DVD and charge people to come and watch it. On some sections of the DVD, the audience is encouraged to sing, but for the main part it is just a normal DVD. From what I can gather, the PRS and PPL licences only seem to cover music and music videos, unless somebody could tell me otherwise.

Unfortunately, there are some jobsworth people who will be attending, so I would prefer to do it properly if at all possible.

Thanks,

Peter.

Just tell them that you called the company who made the film or something. Then tell them to GTFO my fundraiser, fgt.

You will more than likely need reproduction rights for paid viewings, and a sing a long could arguably be a music video of sorts....but the publisher will likely want a large sum for you showing it to a paying audience

Damn, I guess it's a non-starter then.

Thanks anyway guys.

Peter.

It certainly used to be the case that a charity performance could be done without a license. That was the only way that they could run a film club when I was at school...

I'm sure I've used retail DVD's for similar things when I run the theatre a few years back.
You can get a film licence for cheap from the council and have a music performance licence for the singing.

As it's a charity even I don't think you'll have an issue.