Figure skating finds its voice when the International Skating Union (ISU) announced in 2014 that music with vocals would be allowed in singles and pair skating competitions, the world rejoiced. Ice skating could finally shed its classical music skin.

According to Steve Winogradsky, a music attorney and author of the industry standard, “Music Publishing: The Complete Guide,” “Classical music was used because that’s what the judges were familiar with.” ISU officials said the decision was aimed at attracting younger audiences.  Hopefully, Olympic figure skating won't become “American Idol on Ice.”

The three years leading into PyeongChang was a trial and error period for professional figure skaters, and in some ways recording artists. Younger fans had already embraced idea before the blades hit the ice.

Last month at the US Figure Skating Championships, Jimmy Ma used “Turn Down for What” by DJ Snake and Lil’ Jon. The next day, a video of his performance had gone viral on YouTube. Ma finished 11th overall and knew beforehand he wouldn’t be going to PyeongChang, but based on media reaction, it was if he had already won a gold medal.

One headline read, ”Jimmy Ma brings down the house with rap song.”

The video is still on YouTube, but without the Lil' Jon song. Whoever posted it didn’t have the sync rights, which allows for a song to be used legally by another person after they have paid the artist or publisher.  Most videos on YouTube are illegal, and especially so if they feature published music. 

Many have said that by using music with lyrics, audiences and skaters can bond on a deeper level which wasn't possible with music from Beethoven or Rachmaninoff.  Classical music felt like a barrier rather than a window. 
The change in music rules is a lesser version of a sports enhancement drug, one that aids the skater and the spectator.
Team China added a silver medal to their cache when the 2017 World Champions duo Sui Wenjing and Han Song placed second in pairs figure skating.  They used “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen.   

Xiaoyu Yu and Hao Zhang used two "Star Wars" songs for their pairs routine.

US figure skater Adam Rippon uses the song “O” by UK rock group Coldplay.  His skate outfit is either a tribute to the song, or a marketing strategy.

“Figure skating is subjective, unlike ski racing. If you’re the fastest one down the slope, with the fastest time, you’re the winner.  With figure skating, there are judges who have to interpret what you’re doing and if you’re successful at it,” said Winogradsky.
What’s going to happen when a figure skater turns in a career-defining performance, but to a song nobody likes?  Will spectators see through the music?
Last week, French figure skater Mae Berenice Meite used “Run the World” by Beyonce during her routine. The next day, music website Pitchfork wrote about her.  Had she performed to a classical number, we would have never heard about it.
Ice skaters could be judged on their musical tastes, at least where the public is concerned.Luckily, at least for now, professional judges have remained focussed on the routines. 

One of the best women’s figure skaters in the world is 18-year old Evgenia Medvedeva from Russia.  As of this writing, she is the gold medal favorite for the women’s singles competition.   

Her short performance is centered on the theme ‘clinical death,’ the moment when a person’s soul leaves their body, and she uses Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp.  
For her long program last year, she used music from a film about 9/11 that included audio samples from sirens and sound bites from former President George W. Bush’s speech on that day.  

I can’t decide how I feel about German ice skater Paul Fentz.  It takes courage to ice skate in public to Paul Anka’s jazz rendition of the Oasis song “Wonderwall.” And because of the song, we’ll never forget him regardless if he wins a medal or not.

Music industry magazine, New Music Express (NME) wrote about Fentz. Figure skating had given birth to a  new sub-genre of music journalism. 

In theory, it’s a three-way victory benefiting the recording artist, ice skater, and fan.  

“It’s good exposure for the artists, and good exposure can translate into dollars. We all know that streaming income isn’t a lot, but the added exposure can lead to added income from other sources as well, such as touring or streaming other parts of the artist's catalog," said Winogradsky.

The real drama could come after the Olympics when publishing companies go after the money their contracted artists are owed. 

If you don’t think music isn't political, it might be time to reevaluate, because the real games have just begun.