The rights for the use of texts, music, photographs, videos, visual arts, choreographies, and the light or set design must be cleared before a performance can be staged. To do so, the live performance organisation has to go through a complex and often time-consuming rights clearance process, and deal with a multitude of different rights holders, respectively the collecting societies or publishers responsible.

This issue becomes even more complicated when a music group, theatre or dance company is invited to perform abroad. Making creative content accessible to an audience requires a separate rights clearance process in each country where the performance is due to be staged.

In case a performance will be exploited online, an agreement must be found with all parties and rights holders involved.