Production licenses permitting DVD sales
 

I'm a High School teacher who would like to start a video production club, supporting itself by sales of DVDs when this is legal. An experienced sound man that I worked with recently said that when a director licenses, say, an old Broadway musical, he can often pay extra for a provision that allows an archival copy and still extra for a provision that allows sales of a limited number of copies of the performance.

Can anyone confirm or contradict this information? More details, if you have them, or a reference to where I could find the info would be much appreciated.

The publishing company that licenses the play to your director would be the place to ask. Is this a trick question?

Trick question??
 

I don't what company to ask. I don't have director here, or I'd ask him what company. So I said to myself, here's an idea...I'll post the question in the Wedding / Event Videography forum--that seems to be what it's for.

[Edit] Admittedly, the Taking Care of Business forum would have been more appropriate. Maybe the moderator ... (Hey! This new format doesn't name the wranglers anymore) ... could beam it over.

Fred, in your original post your said "often". This implied to me that you understood that sometimes you can and sometimes you can't. Any generic info is useless, you have to talk to a specific publisher about a specific play, and then find out how much. You can get rights for almost anything, the question is how much are you willing to pay.

Hi Fred,
It's possible that you'd be allowed to make an archival copy.
You cannot make copies and sell them. You may be able to give them to cast members......you'd have to check on that. But selling copies of a licensed play or musical......no way!!!