Royalties
Grand Rights
Grand rights cover music used in a dramatic, theatrical context — musicals, opera, ballet, staged shows. They're licensed directly, not through your PRO.
Your PRO collects performance royalties for 'small rights' — ordinary nondramatic performances like radio, streaming, and venues. But when a song is used dramatically — in a musical, an opera, a ballet, or a staged production that tells a story — that's a grand right, and PRO blanket licenses don't cover it.
Grand rights are negotiated directly with the songwriter or publisher, much like a sync license. If your music gets used on stage, that's a separate deal — and a separate income stream — from your everyday performance royalties.
Good to know
Grand Rights: common questions
- Does my PRO collect for my song used in a musical?
- No. Theatrical and dramatic uses are 'grand rights,' which sit outside PRO blanket licenses and are negotiated directly with you or your publisher.