Adding music tracks

ozwild · February 19, 2006

Hello,

Im making a short movie, i may sell it on DVD,

what is the law for adding music tracks, could

someone post some links on the topic ?

Thankyou for any help, take care. Oz.

Mark Allen · February 19, 2006

Im making a short movie, i may sell it on DVD,
what is the law for adding music tracks, could

someone post some links on the topic ?

I don't have a link to the actual laws - but essentially - you can't use anything without permission. Period. You can't even use a computer software's sounds without permission.

And remember even if the song is old and beyond 75 years past the author's death - there are lots of tricky ways that people are keeping songs out of the public domain. Also - whoever recorded it still owns that recording of it.

The good news is that there are tons of royalty free libraries to purchase - and tons of musicians who are able to record their own music and are wanting score for their reels.

Hal Smith · February 19, 2006

And remember even if the song is old and beyond 75 years past the author's death - there are lots of tricky ways that people are keeping songs out of the public domain. Also - whoever recorded it still owns that recording of it.

The good news is that there are tons of royalty free libraries to purchase - and tons of musicians who are able to record their own music and are wanting score for their reels.

Am I correct in believing that one must specifically get "synchronization" rights for film and video scoring?

What about MIDI files I play on my computer system? There's a plethora of MIDI sources of classical music over 75 years old on the web - and you don't have to be a very good musician to take a score and record it as MIDI. What's the rights situation there?

Enough questions for now.

Edmond, OK

Chris Keth · February 19, 2006

Am I correct in believing that one must specifically get "synchronization" rights for film and video scoring?
What about MIDI files I play on my computer system? There's a plethora of MIDI sources of classical music over 75 years old on the web - and you don't have to be a very good musician to take a score and record it as MIDI. What's the rights situation there?

Enough questions for now.

Edmond, OK

Someone made them and probabyl owns the rights to them.

Sidney King · February 19, 2006

I think Hal is refering to entering (or playing via midi-compatible keyboard, etc...) older classical scores (not recordings), which are certainly in the public domain and available for any and all exploitation by everyone. You can do whatever you want with Chopin or Bach, et al...with midi or any instrument; put it in your film, sell it to anyone who will buy it, and so forth.

February 20, 2006

Just download some music software and make it. It's really not hard, and there are loads of web sites out there with music to use.

ozwild · February 21, 2006

Just download some music software and make it. It's really not hard, and there are loads of web sites out there with music to use.

would you like to share those websites ?

Hal Smith · February 21, 2006

The music programmer at a classical music station I consult (engineering) says he believes music copywrite is 28 years and that it can be renewed once. Can anyone confirm this? There is a lot of nice modern music that's over 56 years old - like Prokefiev's Alexander Nevsky. Now there's a score for a VERY brave filmmaker to use - nothing like risking being compared to Eisenstein! On the other hand....a documentary on the US's ill advised ventures in the middle east over that score? Nah - who'd want the neocons mad at them. (Michael Moore: are you lurking?) :)

Edmond, OK (note for the curious: yes, I am a US citizen, a U.S. Navy veteran, and stand for the Star Spangled Banner, I just can't stand the Bushies).

Leo Anthony Vale · February 22, 2006

The music programmer at a classical music station I consult (engineering) says he believes music copywrite is 28 years and that it can be renewed once. Can anyone confirm this? There is a lot of nice modern music that's over 56 years old - like Prokefiev's Alexander Nevsky. Now there's a score for a VERY brave filmmaker to use - nothing like risking being compared to Eisenstein! On the other hand....a documentary on the US's ill advised ventures in the middle east over that score? Nah - who'd want the neocons mad at them. (Michael Moore: are you lurking?) :)

Edmond, OK (note for the curious: yes, I am a US citizen, a U.S. Navy veteran, and stand for the Star Spangled Banner, I just can't stand the Bushies).

---The 28/56 was the older US copyright & at that time, i believe, performances couldn't be copyrighted.

While Europe was life plus 75 years & performances were copyrighted.

US copyright law has since been changed & is more in line with Europe.

It was then further modified to make it excedingly complex with damnear never ending copyright.

Safest thing is to stick to original arrangements of Bach and Vivaldi which you are playing yourself.

Foes shall never see Russian towns and fields. They who march on Rus shall be put to death.

In our Russia great, in our native Russia, no foe shall live.

While the Soviet Union did not honor international copyrights, Prokofiev and other soviet composers would publish in France or England to have proper copyright.

---LV

Hal Smith · February 24, 2006

---The 28/56 was the older US copyright & at that time, i believe, performances couldn't be copyrighted.
While Europe was life plus 75 years & performances were copyrighted.

US copyright law has since been changed & is more in line with Europe.

It was then further modified to make it excedingly complex with damnear never ending copyright.

Safest thing is to stick to original arrangements of Bach and Vivaldi which you are playing yourself.

Foes shall never see Russian towns and fields. They who march on Rus shall be put to death.

In our Russia great, in our native Russia, no foe shall live.

While the Soviet Union did not honor international copyrights, Prokofiev and other soviet composers would publish in France or England to have proper copyright.

---LV

Leo,

I have Russian ancestry on my mother's side - there must be something hardwired into my soul because your quote from Nevsky runs chills up my spine. My Uncle Howard (my Mother's brother) ,better known as Alan Howard, was one of the last Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo Premier Danseurs, he's often referred to as the first American to take that role - Hah!, there were dancers in the company with long Russian names who had less Rus blood in them than my Uncle. American citizenship, certainly, but 50% Russian none the less.

Hal