Do you have to get the "rights" to perform a song?

Question

To perform in places for your community or high school or something similar?

Answer 1

No, not unless it's a paid performance or it's getting recorded and sold.

Answer 2

Typically they come with the purchase of the sheet music, I believe. I'm pretty sure that as long as you aren't making the sheet music available for public access, or charging for copies of the sheet music, you're okay to do whatever you want performance-wise, as long as you credit the composer/arranger, and have actually purchased the sheet music. That's why that folder of papers costs so much. =)
You might want to double-check with a copyright lawyer, or someone from the printing company. Usually there's contact info and whatnot somewhere on the sheet music.

Answer 3

You don't need "rights". The rights apply to playing the original recording publicly. You can perform the song yourself gratis. But if you record it and sell recordings, you owe "royalties", of I think 1% to the original artist. (This is specified in the copyright law, which you should really read.)