Public Performance Rights / General Licensing
If you are a proprietor of a business that provides music to the public or if you are a promoter of entertainment events you require a public performance licence from COTT.

Some examples of premises requiring public performance licences are restaurants, bars, hotels, clubs, discotheques, nightclubs, cinemas, concert halls, factories, hairdressing salons, fitness centres, office buildings, and shopping malls.

The COTT public performance licence can take two basic forms: 

Annual Licence
This licence is issued on a yearly basis to discotheques, restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. A licence granted by COTT is a contract that is renewable on an annual basis. The licence allows the licensee to use the COTT’s repertoire, which includes local and international music, pursuant to the terms of the licence granted. In return, the licensee agrees to pay an annual fee. 

Permits
Permits are issued to promoters or organisers of ad-hoc events. Any event would require a permit from COTT if it involves the public performance of copyright musical works. Examples of persons who require permits are concert/fete promoters, and organisers of Carnival events, exhibitions, promotional events, bazaars, and amusement fairs.

For more information, you can visit our section on frequently asked questions

Recording Rights

In addition to licences and permits, COTT also assists music users who need to seek clearance for reproduction of copyright musical works. Examples of reproduction where clearance is required are:

Mechanical Licence
If you are making a record of a copyrighted work on CD, MP3, tape or any other format, you need to obtain a mechanical licence.

Synchronisation Licence
If you are making a soundtrack for a film or a television programme using copyright protected music, you need to obtain a synchronisation licence

Commercial Advertising Licence
If you are making a commercial jingle or an accompaniment to commercial advertising using a copyright protected music, you need to obtain a synchronisation licence.

If you would like more information or have any queries, contact the Media Licensing Department. E-mail: mechanical@cott.org.tt

Broadcasting Rights/ Broadcasters

If you operate a radio station, television station, cable or satellite television service in Trinidad & Tobago, you require a licence from COTT .

Broadcasters are one of COTT’s main user groups. They not only broadcast music, they also reproduce it on a regular basis, and as such usually require two types of licences to cover these different uses.

COTT broadcast licences authorise the broadcast of all works in our repertoire – local and international – on the broadcaster’s service. In return for the licence, broadcasters pay a licence fee and usually need to provide us with music returns and cue sheets to identify the music they have broadcast. COTT broadcast licences also authorise the reproduction of music subject to certain limitations. For example, these licences do not allow music to be reproduced in an advertisement.

If you would like more information or have any queries, contact the Media Licensing Department. E-mail: medialicensing@cott.org.tt

Online Music Rights/ Online Services

If you are an online service making copyright protected music available online in Trinidad & Tobago you need to obtain an online music licence. Such services include streaming and downloading audio and audio-visual files via the Internet, mobile telephones or other online technologies.

Whenever music is downloaded or streamed over the Internet, there are a number of rights which are exploited. These include:

• the reproduction of a musical work; and

• the communication to the public of a musical work.

In addition to COTT licences you will also require licences from the relevant record company/executive producer/artiste or other right owner for the use of the master recording.

If you would like more information or have any queries, contact the Media Licensing Department. E-mail: medialicensing@cott.org.tt