Now you can make copies of a huge range of printed sheet music, covering all types of artists and genres of music from rock to classical and jazz to hip hop!
For years, teachers of music in schools have got used to the idea that they shouldn't make copies of printed sheet music because they would be breaking copyright law. This is no longer the case.
Most education authorities have already bought a Schools Printed Music Licence, so you can make copies and arrangements of pop, classical, choral or any type of music you like.
You can also make use of printed music owned by your local music hub or service.
Read on to see if your school is covered and what the Schools Printed Music Licence enables you to do.
Schools Printed Music Licence
Look what you can do with your licence
- Make photocopies and scans of entire works of printed music or up to 10% of an anthology or choral work
- Use score-writing software programs to arrange print music
- Make notations by hand on copies of print music
- Make new arrangements to suit any instrumentation your school has available
- Share print music on a school VLE
The school must own at least one original copy of the sheet music and the copy must be for use in school activities.
Licence exceptions
Although you are free to copy the vast majority of musical works under the licence, there are a few exceptions and exclusions that you need to know about.
Check if your favourite music is covered
You can use the Check Permissions search bar at the top of this page by entering the ISBN of the printed sheet music you own.
See if your school is licensed
In most cases, the SPML is held or administered by representative bodies that act as agents between CLA and the schools. Details of those arrangements and which institutions are covered are shown below:
| Sector |
Am I covered by the SPML? |
| State maintained schools in England |
All schools in this sector are covered under a national agreement with the Department of Education |
| State maintained schools in Scotland |
All schools in this sector are covered under a national agreement with the Scottish Government |
| State maintained schools in Northern Ireland |
All schools in this sector are covered under a national agreement with the Education Authority |
| State maintained schools in Wales |
Schools are licensed through local councils and on an individual basis. If your school is in Flintshire or Neath Port Talbot, it is automatically licensed. If your school is a Secondary School in Cardiff, it is automatically licensed. If your school is in Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Conwy, Denbighshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea or Vale of Glamorgan, it is likely to be licensed via your local council. Various other schools are licensed directly. To check coverage, please see our list of licensed Welsh schools.
If your school is not covered, please contact us directly to arrange a direct licence, using the button below.
|
| Independent schools in England |
Contact The Independent Association of Prep Schools for more information |
| Independent schools in Scotland |
Contact The Scottish Council of Independent Schools for more information |
Enquire Now
