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Is it true that there hasn't been any new Public Domain Songs released in quite a few years, because Disney keeps influencing the laws of what constitutes a PD song?
Someone told me that they're trying to protect the copyright of their older songs. I can think of a few Disney songs I'd like to cover.
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Sorry! I just did a search, and Jody answered this question on another post way back in the Summer. It appears that Disney, and some other powerful companies have been delaying the release of new Public Domain songs. Is there anything we can do to throw our arms up in the air over this? I wanna change the words to some Disney songs!!!
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Almost everybody changes words to songs live. Just the same as they vary the music to suit their own style. works live anyway. recording, you would have to get approval and pay for the right in some cases i would imagine. Surely anything worth recording would be worth the trouble and pitance it costs to do so. Always seems so cheap to me artists wanting public domain all the time. Ya only gotta wait 75 years after the last of the owners has died before the owner loses any say in what is done with their work, and ya get it free anyway. Doesn't seem too long to wait to hear something not worth paying for to me. Graham ------------------ http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhenderson_music.htm
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Disney has been messing with the copyright statutes for a long time. It used to be 30 years. They keep lobbying to get it raised 5 or 10 years at a pop, so they don't have to lose their rights on their old movies, which ironically they made from public domain stories.
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That is an interesting thought. Is there such a thing as a public domain movie? i doubt it considering a movie is not just a noise put out. It is a complex mix of many forms of artistic endevour. That wouldn't stop the songs involved in any of them being treated differantly to any other song. More thought required. Graham ------------------ http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhenderson_music.htm
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I don't think there are any Disney songs that qualify as public domain. (Maybe from Snow White--that movie came out in 1939, and the copyright term themn was only 47 years, if I recall right.) They were all written by either Disney staff writers or writers under contract to Disney. And most of the Disney musicals were done recently enough so the copyrights on the music haven't run out yet. (And of course, these days, it's life of the author plus 75 years.) I have to look at this from the writer's standpoint. If I wrote it, and it became famous, I'd want to keep making money off it as long as I could. Parodying, of course, has its own quirky rules. If I recall right, the change in U.S. copyright law wasn't the result of lobbying by Disney Inc. (at least not exclusively). It was intended to bring the U.S. into conformance with most other nations' copyright laws, which had a longer term of copyright than the U.S. did. And I recall that I, as a writer, applauded the change when it happened. Joe www.soundclick.com/bands/7/joewrabek_music.htm
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by roxhythe: I don't think there are any Disney songs that qualify as public domain. (Maybe from Snow White--that movie came out in 1939, and the copyright term themn was only 47 years, if I recall right.)</font> There is nothing in the public domain younger than 1923 unless it was intentionally put there by its creator. Sonny Bono and the Mickey Mouse law saw to that. The law actually put several years worth of songs back under copyright after they'd already become public domain. <font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by roxhythe: (And of course, these days, it's life of the author plus 75 years.)
I have to look at this from the writer's standpoint. If I wrote it, and it became famous, I'd want to keep making money off it as long as I could. . . the law wasn't the result of lobbying by Disney Inc. (at least not exclusively). It was intended to bring the U.S. into conformance with most other nations' copyright laws, which had a longer term of copyright than the U.S. did.</font> First, what the heck are you going to do with the 75 years of copyright money after you're dead? Second, the US is pressuring other countries to extend their copyrights to the length of ours, not the other way 'round. In England right now there are Elvis tunes in the public domain. The framers of our Constitution put in stuff about copyright to give creators a good chance to make money from their creations. This did not include the creators great-grandchildren making money off of them. In fact, the concept of having copyrights expire after a reasonable period of time was to encourage new creations, including ones based on the earlier work. ------------------ Howlin' Hobbit ( www.howlinhobbit.com ) Got Uke? Snake Suspenderz ( www.snakesuspenderz.com ) Hot jass, Hokum and Novelty music... with a bite!
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You are right howlin hobbit, I heard about "Happy Birthday" becoming PD back in the late 90's and then I heard about it getting taken off again when they changed the laws.
I wouldn't want some large corportation making money off a song I wrote, 75 years after I died. Happy Birthday is definitely a song that should be free to everyone.
And Graham, I would consider paying to cover some great Disney songs, since a lot of people have found me on itunes, due to their searching for popular tunes. But I'd prefer to do famous traditional PD songs than have to pay $85 for one. If Disney songs ever became PD, I'd have a field day recording.
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by russy67: I would consider paying to cover some great Disney songs</font> I hear ya there. "Wanna Be Like You" is a staple of my live sets. Alas, can't record it. I don't want to put another dime into Disney's pocket. HH
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Is that the right title? it didn't come as a title in BMI search. unless the song was written by a Disney staff writer, i doubt you would be putting any money into a disney pocket, a9unless they are the writer's publisher), as any dues paid for doing covers goes to the writer/owner, and their publisher. i found a title that hasn't been used out of the ask and it has promise. The things ya find on the forums when you have an enquiring mind. Graham ------------------ http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhenderson_music.htm
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Graham: Is that the right title? it didn't come as a title in BMI search.</font> I believe the full title is "I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song)". There's about ten results that come up on BMI if you search for "I Wanna Be Like You" and several on the ASCAP site as well. But none of them list Songwriters Hall of Fame members Richard M. and Robert B. Sherman, who are the ones who wrote it (and all the other great tunes in that and other Disney movies). Nothing comes up on either site if you search on the full title. <font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Graham: unless the song was written by a Disney staff writer, i doubt you would be putting any money into a disney pocket, a9unless they are the writer's publisher), as any dues paid for doing covers goes to the writer/owner, and their publisher.</font> I'll bet that RM and RB were considered "staff writers" when they penned that tune. I'm thinking since neither BMI nor ASCAP seems to know about it that Disney has their little mitts firmly upon it. ------------------ Howlin' Hobbit ( www.howlinhobbit.com ) Got Uke? Snake Suspenderz ( www.snakesuspenderz.com ) Hot jass, Hokum and Novelty music... with a bite!
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I don't see it listed. I do see The monkee Theme listed, and I Wanna Be Free. Both with the credits in place and so recordable. Was a learning experience. They sang quite a bit of outside stuff. Allman brothers, Carol King. I see they even sang some Willie Dixon. I was never a fan so didn't know. Graham ------------------ http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhenderson_music.htm
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"The Bare Necessities" is another great song from the Jungle Book. Mary Poppins has some other great songs, like "Let's Go Fly A Kite", "I Love To Laugh", and "Supercalifragilisticexpialadoshious" (I'm sure I mispelled that). Snow White has "Whistle While You Work". Then there's "It's A Small World". I could do a whole Disney Tribute album if they were PD.
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by russy67: "Supercalifragilisticexpialadoshious" (I'm sure I mispelled that).</font> Well, you might've but if you did it's still closer than I could have come. :-) ------------------ Howlin' Hobbit ( www.howlinhobbit.com ) Got Uke? Snake Suspenderz ( www.snakesuspenderz.com ) Hot jass, Hokum and Novelty music... with a bite!
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The greatest tribute anybody can offer somebody is to pay them their dues. Most of the titles you mention are in fact up on BMI so easily found for anybody anting to do covers. Graham ------------------ http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhenderson_music.htm
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Actually, if anyone decided to do one of my songs, the $85 would be great, but I would be even more honored by the fact that they wanted to re-do one of my own songs. The tribute would be the decision to cover the song, and not the money (especially when the writer is long gone, and the money is going to some third party).
On my last CD I recorded 3 cover tunes, and paid the dues too. So I wouldn't say I'm cheap or anything. But when you come across a classic song that just happens to be free also, that's a great added BONUS!
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Well. I think it is great that the decendant, or whoever are the benificaries of some long gone writer, who was probably ripped off in their time, is getting some dues finally. bit like the family farm. Just because the present owner didn't hew it out of the forest, doesn't mean we can go graze or stock on it without paying our dues. Remember, Steven Foster and Mark Twain both died poor. Not one once great performer or writer I have ever talked to, hasn't got a story of being ripped off. And some of them not all that long ago either. Your "if they were PD" seems cheapish sounding to me russ. So glad to hear it isn't how you do actually operate. Graham ------------------ http://www.soundclick.com/bands/2/grahamhenderson_music.htm
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I see your point Graham. I would never let the whole PD issue compromise my ability to decide what songs would make a great CD release. It's just that in my particular genre (children's music) there are so many fabulous PD songs, that it makes it very easy to choose a PD song over a copyright song. It just so happens that many of the most popular and well known children's songs are PD: Like for instance, "Down By The Bay", "BINGO", "Old MacDonald", "The Hokey Pokey", and the list goes on for what seems like forever.
My last CD had 3 cover tunes, because I really thought they fit into the theme of the album. The reason I said that I would record a Disney Tribute album if they were all PD is simply that I couldn't afford to do it otherwise. $85 times 15 to 20 songs is a little out of my price range. I have a family to feed. Good old Walt, on the other hand is worth more dead than I am alive.
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Actually, I think the reason Disney keeps pushing for longer and longer copyright durations is not so much for their songs, but their other copyrighted stuff, such as their cartoon characters. Remember, the copyright laws apply to all media, not just music, and the Disney empire is based on its cartoon characters. If Mickey Mouse becomes public domain, Disney (as it presently is) is dead. ------------------ Stone Marmot retro pop-rock original music www.stonemarmot.com www.soundclick.com/stonemarmot.htm www.myspace.com/stonemarmot [This message has been edited by Andy K (edited 01-26-2006).]
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