Background music needed

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Terri Browning on March 30, 2009 at 12:02pm

freeplaymusic.com has been very helpful for my students.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Wagner on March 30, 2009 at 12:03pm

Thanks, I will check this one out.

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Permalink Reply by Annette Siemssen on March 30, 2009 at 1:47pm

Go to jamstudio.com This is a free limited access site where the students can create original music for use in projects. It's easy and fun. There are educator grants available for full access if you wish.

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Permalink Reply by Christy Tucker on March 30, 2009 at 6:08pm

Musopen has public domain classical music recordings.

Besides public domain, you could also use Creative Commons music and just make sure your students give credit to the musicians in their work. Here's several sources for Creative Commons music:
Purple Planet
Magnatune
Creative Commons: Search OWL music search or SpinXPress

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on March 30, 2009 at 6:34pm

Would ALL hundred year old or older classical music be in the public domain?

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Permalink Reply by Christy Tucker on March 30, 2009 at 6:54pm

Yes, the sheet music or score itself would be public domain, but particular performances may be copyrighted and require a license for use. You're deal with two different aspects of copyright here.

Musopen explains it this way:
"The copyrights that apply to music are complicated. Put simply, there are at least two copyrights to any sound recording of a musical work – the copyright on the underlying composition and the copyright on the particular performance. So, for example, if you perform the song “Imagine” by John Lennon, John Lennon’s estate holds a copyright in the sheet music, and you hold a copyright in your performance, but you are limited in doing certain things with the recording of your performance without John Lennon’s estate’s permission or a statutory license."

http://www.musopen.com/faq.php

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on March 30, 2009 at 7:07pm

Christy, Thanks for the info--I think intellectually I understand that.....but it is worth repeating.

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Permalink Reply by Christy Tucker on March 30, 2009 at 7:17pm

It's not straightforward. If you find recordings from the US Marine Band or US Air Force Band, those recordings are in the public domain (produced by the government & paid for by taxes = public domain). So, if the music itself is old enough to be in public domain, then the recordings in those cases are safe too.

Generally, though, it's really hard to find truly public domain recordings where both the music and the specific performance are public domain. A collection of historical recordings would probably do it.

Honestly, music copyright is complicated enough that I generally think it's safer and simpler to just go with Creative Commons and cite the source. At least then you know what you're using is OK because the artist has labeled it clearly.

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on March 30, 2009 at 7:39pm

So a classical piece performed by a creative commons artist should be OK? haha! You could also go to the Library of Congress and search for music audio and find the original recording!!

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Permalink Reply by Christy Tucker on March 30, 2009 at 7:45pm

Actually, yes, a public domain piece performed by an artist who releases the recording under Creative Commons would be OK (as long as you meet the terms of whatever Creative Commons license it is).

The Library of Congress does have some of the old Edison recordings which are terrific. Not necessarily the right thing for background on a student video though.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/edhtml/edsndhm.html

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Permalink Reply by Nancy Bosch on March 30, 2009 at 7:57pm

Who knows, better to be safe than sorry---I got a big handslap for using We Are The World in a presentation in front of the school board several years ago--- I've taught workshops on copyright and thought I was within the guidelines of fair use---it was then pointed out to me that the BOE was a public forum (which of course I knew)!!! Yikes.

I am a copyright-nazi when it comes to my kids!!

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Permalink Reply by Kim Tufts on March 30, 2009 at 7:14pm

Hi Scott - Here are some we use for our HTML classes and for slideshows -

Partners In Ryhyme

Royalty Free Music

Music Resources from Digitales

Hope these help! Kim

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