Duke’s Law School Is Best!
Duke’s Law school’s understanding of public domain is so good.. CBS news used them to explain the uses of Public Domain on YouTube.
WINNIE THE POOH ENTERS THE PUBLIC DOMAIN IN 2021
Copyrighted creative works, whether they’re books, movies, or music, enter the public domain in the United States after 95 years, meaning they’re free for use by the American public. Winnie The Pooh was first published in 1924, becomes that old and is yours to use or modify! I admit it will be tough to see the pornagraphic uses of Winnie.
What will “Poo Bear” do?
WHAT TO DO WITH CHRISTMAS SONGS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN – SILENT NIGHT by THE TEMPTATIONS
Perform them! That way it’s yours! Just because the song listed below was in the public domain doesn’t mean you can use a version done by someone else. Here are the songs I found written before 1924, or donated to the public domain. So you can use these songs w/o owing anyone or getting a license to use in your social post, IF you perform them yourself.
Holiday songs that ARE in the Public Domain.
With these songs, you will not need a mechanical license.
- Angels We Have Heard On High
- Auld Lang Syne
- Away In A Manger
- Coventry Carol
- Deck The Halls
- For Unto Us
- Go Tell It On The Mountain
- God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
- Good King Wenceslas
- Hallelujah Chorus
- Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- Here We Come A-Caroling (Wassail Song)
- I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
- I Saw Three Ships
- In The Bleak Midwinter
- It Came Upon The Midnight Clear
- Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
- Jingle Bells
- Jolly Old St. Nicholas
- Joy To The World
- O Come All Ye Faithful
- O Come O Come Emmanuel
- O Holy Night
- O Little Town Of Bethlehem
- Once In Royal David’s City
- Silent Night
- The First Noel
- The Twelve Days of Christmas
- Up On The Housetop
- We Three Kings
- We Wish You A Merry Christmas
- What Child Is This
But the performance by someone done recently would require permission to use in a video or any other use of that performance. So you will be liable if you post a performance of a public domain song composed after 1924. Although Silent Night was written before 1924 , this is a perfect example of a song performance of a public domain song not being “royality-free” Youtube must pay who ever has the rights for this performance by The Temptations. I suggest using your own version of one of these songs to avoid any copyright hassles.
THE 1ST MILLION-SELLING COUNTRY SINGLE BECOMES PUBLIC DOMAIN
This 1924 recording of this top-selling “Hillbilly-marketed” song became public domain in January. Recorded by Country Hall of Fame Honoree, Vernon Dahlhart, who was born Marion Try Slaughter, for Victor Records, this recording became one of the biggest selling singles of the 1920s. Written by Vernon but copyrighted in the name of his cousin, Guy Massey, it has been re-recorded by many famous artists such as Hank Snow and Bill Monroe. This single “The Prisoner’s Song” was #1 on the charts for over 12 weeks and sold over 9 million copies.
CAN YOU BELIEVE RHAPSODY IN BLUE IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN?
I want to be first in 2020 to share some music that arrived in the public domain. Can you believe George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody In Blue” is ours to use!?
The composition was commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman. It was orchestrated by Ferde Grofé. It was considered modern in 1924. I selected a performance done in 2011. It still sounds modern whenever it’s performed.
PUBLIC DOMAIN BECAME AN ISSUE THIS YEAR
So far this year there has been much written and published about the Public Domain. The concept of copyright expiration for the good of mankind has been around since the advent of copyright protection. This might be an old concept, but it has only come to being this year in the U.S. There have been many articles. This is a good one, about why and what comes into public ownership this year, so the public can use or enjoy the content without copyright restrictions. I try to make some of this music known. I’ve become interested in the roots of rock and roll, the Delta Blues. Son House, born in 1902. He was in his 20s when his songs were recorded by Alan Lomax.
Son House was discovered and promoted as a young man by reigning Delta Blues king, Charley Patton. House’s style would greatly influence Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, and later Bonnie Raitt, John Hammond, Jr. and The White Stripes. Released in 1930, the 78 RPM vinyl of “Clarksdale Moan” was long considered a “Holy Grail” of lost blues recordings. Here’s an mp3 from an original copy found by an ecstatic collector in the 1990’s. An absolute treasure.
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