Whether you’re leading an established community choir or just getting one off the ground, understanding how to use music legally isn’t just good practice, it’s essential. In many cases, that means having the right choir music licence in place. Copyright law exists to protect creators, and that includes the composers, lyricists and arrangers behind the music your choir loves to sing.  

At its core, copyright gives the creator exclusive rights over their work, including the right to make copies, distribute them or adapt the music. For printed music (the scores, parts and arrangements we rely on), copying without permission can breach copyright. Historically, this meant contacting publishers individually for permission, a time-consuming and often complex process.  

This is where the PMLL Amateur Choir Licence becomes invaluable. The licence was created to simplify music copying for amateur choirs. It allows your choir to make photocopies of sheet music legally, including minor adaptations such as changing the key to suit your singers’ voices.  

What a Choir Music Licence Allows in Practice: 

If your choir owns an original copy, whether physical or a legitimately purchased PDF, you can legally photocopy it for your members under the licence, as long as the publisher of that work participates in the scheme.  

You can make minor arrangements, such as changing the key. More substantial rearrangements still need direct permission from the publisher.  

The licence doesn’t cover every work, larger pieces (e.g., multi-movement works longer than 16 pages) and excluded works fall outside the scope, and you should check the PMLL publisher list if you’re unsure.  

The practical benefit of this licence is that it takes the administrative complexity out of everyday music use and lets your choir focus on what matters: singing together. It also ensures that the people whose creative work you’re enjoying (i.e. the songwriters and composers) are fairly compensated through the licensing system.  

One detail worth noting: if you stop holding a valid licence, any copies you made under it must be destroyed. Likewise, the licence doesn’t cover public performance rights. You’ll still want to make sure your performance venue or event is covered by an appropriate performance licence (often administered through organisations such as PRS for Music).  

If you run a choir that rehearses regularly and needs to share music with members, investing in the right licence is a responsible and cost-effective way to protect your group and respect music creators. The PMLL portal makes it straightforward to buy a licence and start reporting your copies so that rights holders are paid correctly.  

Using music legally isn’t just about compliance, it’s about care for your craft, for your singers and for the wider musical community. 

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