Hi all! I’m new to making dressage freestyles for other people, and I’m wanting to be sure everything I do is aboveboard so that I don’t get sued 
I know that USEF has a blanket coverage for music used at their events, but does anyone know anything more detailed? Is music licensure covered by USEF at televised or broadcast events? Do I need to have the music licensed if it was originally recorded by someone other than me? Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I have no experience, but maybe USEF can help you understand what their licensing covers? If you’re a member (or the rider you’re creating this for is), it could cover you, too. Otherwise, you can also reach out to the artists/companies to ask them.
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I would, respectfully, reach out to the choreographers who have been doing this for decades. They will know exactly how this works (since their income depends on it).
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I do believe that USDF members are covered for any music they use for freestyles under ASCAP, but I would double check with USDF and/or USEF about that. It might be in the rule books or under freestyle guidelines.
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The rules state: “According to Section 115 of the Copyright Act, a mechanical license must be obtained for the re-recording of music in any format. For information on obtaining a mechanical license, it is recommended that the rider contact the National Music Publishers’ Association at www.nmpa.org.”
If helpful, you can find the current rules at https://www.usdf.org/docs/education/…11.2019doc.pdf.
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Good suggestion. Mike Matson could be helpful. He no longer posts here (but does on FB). I believe his website is www.equimusic.com .
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Thank you all for your insight and suggestions! I’m going to reach out to some established creators to see if they would be kind enough to share their processes. I’ll post here with an update once I learn more!
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