U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn has addressed copyright concerns with Canadian artist Seb McKinnon, known as CLANN, regarding the use of his song “The Return” in her free skate routine at the Winter Olympics. McKinnon initially expressed surprise on social media about the unauthorized use of his song but later congratulated Glenn on her performance.
Figure skaters are required to obtain copyright permission for their music choices, but the process can be complex and prone to errors, leading some skaters at the Milan Cortina Games to make last-minute program changes.
Glenn clarified that there was a misunderstanding in the music rights process and expressed relief that the issue was resolved with McKinnon. She looks forward to potential future collaborations with him. Despite performing to “The Return” for two years without issues, the hiccup in this instance remains unclear.
Both Glenn and McKinnon have conveyed mutual respect and support for each other, emphasizing the importance of artist rights in figure skating. The evolving use of contemporary music in skating routines has introduced new challenges regarding copyright compliance.
In another instance, Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate faced challenges obtaining approval for his short program music from the film “Minions,” while Russian skater Petr Gumennik had to change his program due to music copyright issues.
Glenn, a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, has faced backlash and threats following comments made during a pre-Olympics press conference. Despite the challenges, Glenn and her teammates celebrated their gold medal win in the team event and are preparing for the individual competition.
Glenn’s experience highlights the complexity of music rights in figure skating and the evolving cultural landscape within the sport. The Olympic journey continues for Glenn and her fellow athletes as they navigate both the competitive and societal aspects of their sport.