Amber Glenn and Canadian artist CLANN have resolved their brief music dispute.
On Feb. 8, the U.S. figure skater, currently competing in the Milan Winter Olympics, used the soaring composition “The Return” in the free skate portion of a team event. Hours later, Seb McKinnion, who produces music as CLANN, took to X to share his surprise, as the music hadn’t been cleared for use.
“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?”
To perform, figure skaters are required to obtain copyright permission for the music they use.
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Glenn had reportedly been performing her free skate to “The Return” for the past two years without issue. It’s unclear how this situation slipped through the cracks, but skaters often rely on federations, event organizers and clearance processes to secure music rights. Sometimes, skaters will edit pieces of a song together, further adding to the murkiness of the situation.
According to McKinnon, his label deal states that he is allowed to green-light music for commercial use. The Montreal-based artist said he’d look into the situation, but did congratulate the figure skater on the performance, which scored her a Gold-medal win.
Two days later (Feb. 10), the figure skater released a statement, expressing the complexities of music rights and figure skating.
“I discovered Seb McKinnon’s music (CLANN) two years ago and felt a deep connection to it,” she wrote. “The issue of music rights can be complex and confusing. Seems like there was a hiccup in that whole process.”
She continued: “I’m glad we cleared things up with Seb and I look forward to collaborating with him. 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.”
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McKinnon promptly responded, letting followers know that the situation had been resolved.
“I love it when music inspires people,” he said. “We can all agree that creators deserve clear consent, proper credit, and fair compensation when their work is used. It doesn't matter if you're the most famous artist the world or a complete unknown. It's for all.”
Glenn isn’t the only figure skater facing a music dispute. Last week, Spain’s Tomàs-Llorenç Guarino Sabaté dealt with a similar situation after using music from the Minions film franchise. After a push for support, Universal Studios granted permission to the figure skater.
