It\u2019s the message no figure skater wants to get. At any time, an email could block them from using the music they\u2019ve built their Olympic programs around.<\/b>
\nIt\u2019s the message no figure skater wants to get. At any time, an email could block them from using the music they\u2019ve built their Olympic programs around.
As the skating world grapples with a music standoff involving the lovable, mischievous Minions, U.S. champion Amber Glenn is gripped by \u201cthis Minions saga.\u201d
It\u2019s a relatable problem for any skater, and Glenn has a promise to keep.
\u201cI told people they were going to see the Minions at the Olympics. I don\u2019t want to be a liar,\u201d she said Wednesday.
Music rights for a single song can be split between numerous artists, companies and other figures. Being a top-level skater means trying their best to secure permission and then hoping there\u2019s no last-minute objections.
\u201cWe have tried our hardest to get everything clear, do what we can, and honestly, a producer could just decide, \u2018Hey, never mind, no,\u2019\u201d Glenn said.
\u201cI\u2019m honestly just seeing, from what avenues I have available to me, that it is clear and then I\u2019m just hoping and praying that I don\u2019t get an email saying, \u2018By the way, they reached out and they said they don\u2019t want you to use it.\u2019 So I think it\u2019s been a very strenuous process for many of us.\u201d
Spanish skater Tomas-Llorenc Guarino Sabate\u2019s Minion problem is especially complex because his short program is a medley of four different songs from the franchise. He has three of the four cleared as of Wednesday and is working on permission from Pharrell Williams for the fourth, Glenn said.
Glenn says she\u2019s happy to leave it to her team to ask permission for music. Her U.S. teammate, men\u2019s gold medal contender Ilia Malinin, tries a personal touch.
\u201cIt\u2019s something that we all worry about, and for me especially, I like to make really unique pieces of music that I skate to,\u201d Malinin said. \u201cI like to reach out to the artist directly and try that as an option. Most of the time it works out in my favor. Especially this year, everyone was so hopeful and so supportive.\u201d
Glenn skates her short program to \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d by Madonna, so even an objection could make her day, she joked.
\u201cIf I do get a message from Madonna saying she doesn\u2019t want me to skate to her music, I\u2019ll just be excited to get a message from Madonna,\u201d she said. \u201cBut let\u2019s hope that doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d<\/p>\n