US figure skater Amber Glenn claims she has smoothed over a copyright dispute concerning her Olympic free skate music, potentially forging an unexpected friendship with the Canadian artist involved.
Canadian artist Seb McKinnon, who produces music under the name CLANN, took to social media after Glenn’s team event performance on Sunday, expressing surprise that his track, "The Return”, was used without his consent.
"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?" McKinnon posted to X, eventually congratulating Glenn on her gold medal.
Figure skaters are mandated to secure copyright permission for their chosen music, a process often fraught with complexity and potential errors.
Several athletes have reportedly had to change their programmes at the last minute for the Milan Cortina Games due to similar issues.
Addressing the situation, Glenn released a statement acknowledging the difficulties: "The issue of music rights can be complex and confusing," she said.
"Seems like there was a hiccup in that whole process. I’m glad we cleared things up with Seb and I look forward to collaborating with him."
Notably, Glenn had been performing her free skate to "The Return" for the past two years without any prior issues.
Reflecting on the experience, Glenn added: "It was a dream come true to perform at the Olympic Games and to have Seb acknowledge my performance and congratulate me afterward made the moment even more special.
“It’s my sincere hope that I was able to help create new fans of both figure skating and Seb. We will move forward and continue supporting both artists and the skating community."
Glenn has also received “a scary amount of hate/threats” in recent days after sharing her feelings about representing the LGBTQ+ community at the Olympics, and stated that she would be taking a step back from social media as a result.
