MILAN (AP) 鈥� U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn has with the artist behind one of the pieces of her free skate music, and thinks she may have struck up a new friendship with him because of it.
Canadian artist Seb McKinnon, who produces music under the name CLANN, had taken to social media after Glenn performed her free skate to conclude the team event Sunday and expressed surprise that his song, 鈥淭he Return,鈥� was used as part of the program.
鈥淪o just found out an Olympic figure skater used one of my songs without permission for their routine. It aired all over the world … what? Is that usual practice for the Olympics?鈥� , before later congratulating Glenn on her medal.
Figure skaters are required to obtain copyright permission for the music they use. But the process is confusing and prone to mistakes, and several skaters at the Milan Cortina Games have had to change programs at the last minute because of it.
鈥淭he issue of music rights can be complex and confusing,鈥� Glenn said in a statement. 鈥淪eems like there was a hiccup in that whole process. I鈥檓 glad we cleared things up with Seb and I look forward to collaborating with him.鈥�
It was not clear where the hiccup occurred. Glenn has been performing to 鈥淭he Return鈥� for the past two years without any issues.
鈥淚t was a dream come true and to have Seb acknowledge my performance and congratulate me afterward made the moment even more special,鈥� Glenn said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 my sincere hope that I was able to help create new fans of both figure skating and Seb. We will move forward and continue supporting both artists and the skating community.鈥�
McKinnon, whose debut feature film 鈥淭he Stolen Child鈥� will be released soon, confirmed Monday that the copyright issues had been resolved. McKinnon said he wasn’t trying to cause a controversy but wanted to ensure the rights of artists were respected.
鈥淚 love it when music inspires people,” he said. 鈥淲e can all agree creators deserve clear consent, proper credit and fair compensation when their work is used. It doesn鈥檛 matter if you鈥檙e the most famous artist in the world or a complete unknown. It鈥檚 for all.鈥�
The issue of copyright is a relatively new problem in figure skating, because for generations the only music that could be used was mostly part of the public domain. But when the International Skating Union relaxed its regulations in 2014 and athletes began using more modern music reflective of their own personality, some artists began to demand compensation for their work.
The ISU has been working to help skaters avoid copyright problems, but several still have popped up during the Winter Games.
Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate had to to obtain approval for the music to his short program, set to a medley from the animated film 鈥淢inions.鈥� Sabate had been performing the popular program all season, only to learn Universal Studios was poised to reject its use during the Winter Games. He got the final approval he needed last Friday.
Russian skater Petr Gumennik did have to two days before the start of competition Tuesday night because he did not have the proper permission for music from 鈥淧erfume: The Story of a Murderer,鈥� a psychological thriller. He pivoted to 鈥淲altz 1805鈥� by Edgar Hakobyan, for which Gumennik was able to get permission.
As for Glenn, the three-time U.S. champion has become an unintentional lightning rod during the Olympics.
An outspoken LGBTQ+ rights activist, Glenn said she has been receiving threats following a pre-Olympics press conference in which she said that the queer community is going through a 鈥渉ard time鈥� amid the political climate under President Donald Trump.
鈥淚 was disappointed because I鈥檝e never had so many people wish me harm before, just for being me and speaking 鈥峚bout being decent 鈥� human rights and decency,鈥� Glenn said Sunday night, wearing an LGBTQ+ pin on her team jacket during the team medal ceremony.
鈥淪o that was really disappointing,鈥� Glenn added, 鈥渁nd I do think it kind of lowered that excitement for this.鈥�
Glenn spent most of Monday making the TV rounds with several of her teammates to celebrate their gold medals, the second straight for the Americans in the Olympic team event. Then she planned to head to a training camp outside of Milan to prepare for the women’s individual competition, which begins with the short program on Feb. 17.
鈥淔or all of us first-time Olympians, you saw our nerves, and (it was good) just getting them out,鈥� Glenn said following the team event. “So I鈥檓 really grateful that I was able to have this opportunity ahead of the individual.鈥�
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