The Bizarre World of Music Rights for Figure Skating

In the old days almost everyone skated to classical music which was almost always in the public domain.

A few years ago the rules shifted to allow skating to music with lyrics, which opened the door to contemporary tunes.

That change has come with a host of issues including broadcast rights if the performance is televised, or differing rights depending on the country of performance. A routine can be peformed in some competitions in some places but not others.