Do I have any rights as a performer?

Yes, if you give any live performance, such as a talk, speech, dramatization, singing, recitation, etc., then the performer of such live act gets a special set of rights in the performance called ‘Performer’s Rights’.

Performer’s rights are separate from and in addition to rights of the author of the underlying work. For example, if you sing a song on stage, the rights of the producer of the original song will remain intact while you, as a performer of that song, will gain Performer’s Rights which include:

• Right to make a sound recording or visual recording of the performance with right to reproduce such recording, issue copies of such recording, communicate it to the public, selling or renting the recording, etc.; and

• Right to broadcast or communicate the performance to the public