This is true even if your choir is small, a charity or a social, just for fun, choir. It is also true for choirs that learn by rote. It’s a serious matter.
All music in the Alan Simmons Music catalogue is still in copyright. This means you cannot photocopy or reproduce the music in any way, without the prior permission of Alan Simmons Music.
There are a number of reasons why it is important to respect the rights of copyright owners and to seek permission before copying music:
Illicit Copying is a form of theft which damages composers and publishers. It discourages composers, who may be forced to look for other ways of earning a living. It deters publishers from investing in new writing talent and the production of printed music and it denies them information about the use of music which would guide further investment decisions. A publisher may allow a work to go out of print believing that there is a lack of demand for that particular work when the opposite may in fact be true.
In certain cases limited copying is allowed, for example for the purposes of private research and study and for use in examinations (other than those involving instrumental performance). Copyright legislation is complex as far as performers and teachers are concerned, the MPA has developed a Code of Fair Practice in agreement with composers and users of printed music.