Figure skating music copyright: how to get the rights to your song

A few years ago, almost no skater thought about music licensing. You picked a song, cut it to length, and skated. That changed fast. In 2022, after winning Olympic gold, US pair skaters Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier were sued for copyright infringement over the cover song in their short program. The case named the skaters, their federation, and the broadcaster. At the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, several skaters had to swap or re-clear their music days before competing because the rights were not in order.

So the question is no longer just "what song should I skate to." It is "am I actually allowed to use it, and how do I prove it." This guide explains the copyrights involved, why the rules depend on your federation, and the practical steps to clear your music. It is general information, not legal advice, so always confirm the current rules with your own federation before you commit to a piece.

If you still need to choose a song, start with our guide on how to find figure skating music. If you have your piece and need it shortened, see how to cut figure skating music.

Photo via Unsplash.

Why did music copyright suddenly become a problem in figure skating?

For decades it was a non-issue because skaters mostly used classical music, and older classical works are in the public domain. There were no rights to clear.

That changed when the ISU started allowing music with lyrics across the disciplines from the 2014 to 2015 season. Once skaters began using pop songs, film scores, and modern covers, they were using music that real publishers and record labels own. The lawsuits and Olympic clearance problems followed once rights holders noticed the sport was using their work on a global broadcast without paying for it.

Do figure skaters need a license to use music in competition?

In most cases, yes, somebody needs the rights. The good news is that it is usually not entirely on your shoulders for the live performance.

The performance you give at a sanctioned event is normally covered by a public-performance license that your competition or federation already holds with the local performing-rights organizations. That license covers the music being played in the building at that moment. What it does not do is give you the right to record that performance, stream it, or sell a video of it with the music in place.

Your responsibility usually comes down to two things. First, use a recording you actually obtained legally, so a purchased or licensed file, not a ripped one. Second, and this is the newer part, be ready to prove your song is cleared when your federation asks. More federations now check this at entry.

What music rights are actually involved?

Almost every song carries two separate copyrights, and they are usually owned by different people:

• The composition, sometimes called the publishing right. This covers the underlying music and lyrics, and it is held by the songwriters and their publisher.
• The master, also called the sound recording right. This covers the specific recorded version you are playing, and it is usually owned by the record label.

That is why two recordings of the same song are not interchangeable for clearance. A cover version has its own master and may have different publishing splits, which is exactly the kind of detail that caused the Knierim and Frazier lawsuit. They used a specific cover, not the original.

A third layer appears the moment a camera is involved. Putting music together with video is a synchronization use, and broadcasting it is a separate broadcast right. So a televised or streamed program needs more clearance than a quiet local competition, and one license does not automatically grant the others.

How does music licensing depend on my federation?

This is the part skaters get wrong most often. There is no single global system. The underlying copyright law is similar across countries, but each skating body handles clearance differently, and the requirements get stricter as you move up the levels. Treat the examples below as illustrations, then go read your own federation's current music rules.

• The ISU, which governs international and Olympic competition, points skaters toward a third-party licensing platform to clear songs, since rights have to be valid in the country where you compete. International coverage is the hardest case because a song cleared in one country may not be cleared in another.
• Some national federations have set up blanket performance licenses with their local performing-rights organizations, plus a public database where you check whether a song is fully covered. If the song is in the database and fully covered, you are cleared for the live performance. If it is not, you either pick a different song or use a paid licensing service to clear it.
• Some federations now make license evidence mandatory for their higher competitive levels and check it when you enter an event. In several of these, the liability for getting it wrong sits explicitly with the skater and the parents, not the coach, the federation, or the broadcaster.
• Some federations take a centralized route and hire a clearance company to secure licenses for their athletes at major events, so the individual skater does less of the legwork.

The practical takeaway: the higher you compete and the more your program is broadcast, the more clearance you need and the earlier you need it. A club competition and an international championship are not the same problem.

Photo via Unsplash.

How do I actually get the rights to my song?

Here is a workflow that holds up for most skaters:

1. Check your federation's current music rules first. Find out whether they require proof of clearance, at which levels, and by what deadline.
2. Buy the recording you plan to use from a legitimate store, and keep the receipt. Owning the file is the baseline, and a clean purchased copy also sounds far better through editing.
3. Check whether the song is already covered. If your federation runs or recommends a rights database, search the exact recording there, not just the song title, since covers and re-records differ.
4. If the song is not covered, use the licensing platform your federation recommends to obtain a license, or choose a different song that is cleared. Build this time into your season, because last-minute clearance is how skaters end up changing programs days before an event.
5. Save your proof. Keep the purchase receipt and any license confirmation in one place so you can show it when asked.

Can I post my competition program on YouTube or Instagram?

This is the trap that catches the most skaters, parents, and clubs. The live blanket license that lets the music play at the event does not let you record, stream, or sell that performance with the music attached.

So when you upload the video to YouTube or Instagram, the platform's automated content matching, like YouTube's Content ID, often flags it. The video can be muted, blocked, or claimed by the rights holder. Some federations explicitly prohibit recording, streaming, or selling sanctioned performances with music for this exact reason. If you want to share a clip online, the safe options are to clear the synchronization rights separately, or to post footage without the original audio.

What happens if I use unlicensed music?

It ranges from annoying to expensive. At the mild end, your video gets muted or taken down. In the middle, your federation rejects your music at entry and you have to change it, sometimes right before you skate. At the serious end, you can be sued. In the United States, statutory damages for copyright infringement can reach up to 150,000 dollars per work, and even a short clip can count. The lawsuits in this sport have named not just skaters but their federations and broadcasters, which is why governing bodies started taking clearance seriously.

Does editing or cutting the music change the copyright situation?

No, and this is worth being clear about. Cutting a song into a competition edit does not give you any rights to it. Editing and licensing are two separate things. A cutting service shapes your music to the right length and makes the transitions clean. It does not clear copyright on your behalf.

At Katja Song, that is exactly the line we work within. You bring a song you have legally obtained, and we turn it into competition-ready music that fits your program length and supports your choreography. Getting the song cleared for your federation stays with you, and the steps above are how you do it. If you want to understand the editing side, our overview of how figure skating music production works walks through the process.

Key takeaways

• Music copyright became a real issue in skating after lyrics were allowed from the 2014 to 2015 season, and recent lawsuits and Olympic clearance failures pushed federations to enforce it.
• Most songs carry two copyrights, the composition and the master recording, and a third sync or broadcast right applies once video is involved.
• The live performance is usually covered by your event or federation, but you must use a legally obtained recording and, increasingly, prove the song is cleared.
• Clearance rules depend on your federation and your level, so check your own federation's current music policy and deadlines.
• Recording, streaming, or selling your program with the music is a separate right that the live license does not cover, which is why these videos get flagged online.
• Cutting your music is not the same as licensing it. The edit is on us, the rights are on you.

Where to check the rules

Because the details change every season and differ by country, verify against primary sources rather than secondhand summaries:

• Your own national federation's official music or copyright policy, which is the authority for the events you actually enter.
• The ISU music rules and communications, for international and Olympic competition.
• The licensing platform your federation recommends, for clearing a specific song and checking country coverage.
• Your national performing-rights organizations and any official rights database they provide, to confirm whether a recording is covered.
• The relevant national copyright office, for the underlying difference between composition and recording rights.