Seb McKinnon says he neither granted Amber Glenn nor the US Olympics team consent to use his tune in her gong-winning free skate routine
The Winter Olympics has been plunged into a ‘Skate-gate’ row after a music producer moaned Amber Glenn used his song to dance to gold without his permission.
Seb McKinnon – who produces under the name CLANN and illustrates Magic: The Gathering collectible cards – said he neither granted Amber nor the US Olympics team consent to use his tune The Return in her free skate routine.
Amber’s performance helped the US win a team gold medal at the Games in Italy. But Canadian Seb took the gloss of the gong by tweeting: “So 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. And plus she won Gold??? huge contratz.”
Figure skaters must obtain permission to use their chosen music. But the process is far from straightforward.
Copyright ownership can reside with a label, record producer or the artist themselves often involving multiple parties. Skaters frequently blend different music cuts themselves and third-party companies like ClicknClear attempt to streamline permissions making the copyright landscape complex and nuanced.
According to McKinnon: “The deal I have with my label is that I alone can give the OK to license my music.”
Fellow composers urged him to take immediate legal action – which could ban Amber from using his music again later in the Games. But fellow skaters urged him to leave the 26-year-old ice queen alone until after the competition so she can focus on her bid for glory.
One ex-figure skater told him: “Please be nice about this. This skater has an absolute heart of gold. Perhaps reach out to her, tell her that you are happy she’s skating to your music (instead of causing her anxiety) & the collab with her. You won’t regret it.
“The thought of this genuinely makes me so sad — the program (with the accompanying music) is a work of art that everyone in the world should witness and be inspired by. Of course, Seb deserves credit where it’s due. But for it not to be seen…would be a loss for us all.”
But one X user said: “With respect the beauty or emotional impact of a routine doesn’t override an artist’s rights. The music isn’t incidental. The routine depends on it. Wanting proper permission and credit isn’t unkind. It’s basic respect for creative work. Art doesn’t exist in a hierarchy.”
Glenn was unavailable for comment. She had planned a day off from training before departing Milan to prepare for the individual women’s event, which commences on February 17.
Messages left with US Figure Skating regarding Glenn’s copyright problem were not immediately returned.