[wicked_boy]

Why do the rights / lisence to perfrom a musical cost so much?

So, the composer and that have to be paid, but wy $2000 for a show like BatB that has probably been performed by every AmDram group there is?

[Salome]

unlike a play which costs aprox. 70 dollar a perofrmance a usical costs about 400 dollars a performance because you must pay the author,lyricist,composer,licencing agent and possibly the original producers. also ASCAP gets a cut.

[wicked_boy]

Oh, so, really, from one group doing one performance, the composer won't get that much from it?

[Salome]

why would the composer get more than playwright,lyricist or licensing agent? its all divided up.

[Marcellus]

There's also the matter of renting music. A very significant cost, and for short runs a significant portion of the budget.

[MunkustrapQC]

It cost 7000$ to our school to play Cats two times in a 1500 seats theater...
It's a lot of money!!

[wicked_boy]

Where do your schools get the money from to do these?

Our school has never done a musical in my entire three years of being there.

[Marcellus]

One option to lower royalty costs for a musical (at least in the US, especially for schools) is to commit up front to limit the number seated (including comps) to a certain number lower than your actual capacity.

For rough budgetary purposes, I figure on paying about 15 percent to 20 percent of the potential box office in royalties in musicals.

[Luc]

[Salome]

[shakalakababy]

wow, our school would have to be shut down if we spent 20,000 on anything. We can only afford a couple of 100 per show, if that.

[Matthew]

$20,000.

You must've heard wrong, grandma.

[Luc]

*shrugs*
It's what I was told by another cast-member. I originally heard that it was $10, 000 which seems more likely, but she quickly corrected me. Idk.

[Matthew]

[wicked_diva]

When I did BATB at a community/semi-pro theatre, I think our total cost was upwards of $10,000. And that included a 5 or 6 performance run at an 800 seat theatre, renting costumes and set, and paying staff, run crew, and orchestra, and renting the theatre space.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but that's supposed to be one of the most expensive shows (rights-wise) out there right now, right?

[wicked_boy]

^ Probably, being as it's only been closed for just under a year. Everyone probably wants their version to be "excactly like the Broadway version" if you get what I mean.

[MunkustrapQC]

[Robinflamingo]

[jesuiscommejesuis]

Rights were out for BatB while it was still on Broadway.

[pish123c]

[Matthew]