Copyrights and Public Domain

Copyrighting and Public Domain Music

A song is the combination of melody and words. Each is protected by copyright, the melody as a musical work and the lyrics as a literary work. One or the other could be used separately and still be protected.


Image by Markus Spiske


Public Domain Music
Public domain essentially covers creative works that are no longer protected by intellectual property laws, compositions and musical recordings in which the claim to intellectual property has either expired, been forfeited, or been waived.

Most people recognize the term public domain in reference to published works, including sheet music or musical recordings, which once were protected by copyright, but the copyright expired several decades after the artist’s death or a considerable length of time after the work’s creation. Once copyright expires on a work like a recorded song, you can use it for any purpose without paying the publisher, the artist, or another institution.

The Two Types of Copyright Protected Works

When you record a song, you may be creating two works that are protected by copyright, a musical work and a sound recording. These works are subject to different rules and are commonly owned and licensed separately.

A musical work is a song’s underlying composition along with any accompanying lyrics. Musical works are usually created by a songwriter or composer. And a sound recording is a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds fixed in a recording medium, such as a CD or digital file, called a phonorecord. Sound recordings can be created by the recording’s performer, the producer, etc. Note that there is no public display right for sound recordings and the public performance right is limited to digital audio transmissions, for example, digital streaming.

Image by Dee

Involved Rights
The length of copyright protection varies from country to country, but music, along with most other creative works, generally enters the public domain 50 to 75 years after the death of the creator. A recording in 2023 could be protected by copyright even though the underlying composition lies in the public domain. Copyrights for music cover the authors, composers, and lyricists. The performer and live performances, publishers, record companies and other users of recorded music, and downloading music.

Year	Copyrightings Issused	Musical Compositions	Sound Recordings	Albums Released	Notes
2022	484589		70129	1567
2021	403593		69539	1804
2020	367307		183060	2107	sound recording total includes all performing arts
2019	547837		83658	2284
2018	560013		77216	2583
2017	452122		59247	2831
2016	414296		42444	3011
2015	443823		42977	3448
2014	476298		65463	3795
2013	496599		72377	4007
2012	509122		74348	3949
2011	670044		107680	4528
2010	636400		78000	4756
2009	381300		42000	5364
2008	232100		24200	5550
2007	524700		53700	5850
2006	515200		50800	6061
2005	515200		49900	5584
2004	642000		68000	5258
2003	514100		47000	4952
2002	501000		37100	4456
2001	580800		50300	4286
2000	497600		34200	3405
1999	569900		38000	3816
1998	531900		31600	3641
1997	539400		35700	3447
1996	525800		29900	3311
1995	577800		34000	3132
1994	496100		35900	2966
1993	525600		32400	2703
1992	556300		33100	2447
1991	663700		36800	2347
1990	643500		37500	2150
1989	618300		28300	2056
1988	585300		28600	1820
1987	582200		31900	1798
1986	561000		29000	1636
1985	539800		22700	1624
1984	502700		21600	1510
1983	488200	128,000	21700	1460
1982	468100	125,400	13900	1553
1981	471100	125,000	13500	1522
1980	464700	120,200	12800	1476
1979	429000	108,300	10700	1448
1978	415700	114,800	9100	1409
1977	452700	131,200	10600	1337
1976	411000	118,500	9,000	1291
1975	401300	114,800	8,900	1235
1974	372800	104,500	9,400	1120
1973	353600	95,300	6,700	1154
1972	344600	97,500	1,100	1126
1971	329700	95,200		1040
1970	316466	88,949		1086
1969	301258	83,608		1037
1968	303451	80,479		906
1967	294406	79,291		813
1966	289866	76,805		763
1965	293697	80,881		704
1964	278987	75,256		681
1963	264845	72,583		621
1962	245776	67,612		653
1961	247014	65,500		573
1960	243926	65,558		555
1959	241735	70,707		549
1958	238935	66,515		435
1957	225807	59,614		474
1956	224908	58,330		375
1955	224732	57,527		228
1954	222665	58,213		114
1953	219506	59,302		61
1952	203705	51,538		41
1951	200354	48,319		21
1950	210564	52,309		33
1949	201190	48,210		20
1948	238121	72,339		15
1947	230215	68,709		16
1946	202144	63,367		20
1945	178848	57,835		6
1944	169269	52,087		8
1943	160795	48,348		4
1942	182232	50,023		14
1941	180647	49,135		14
1940	176997	37,975		13
1939	173135	40,961		7
1938	166248	35,334		4
1937	154424	31,821
1936	156962	33,250
1935	142031	27,459		1
1934	139047	27,001		1

More about Copyrighting music and laws:
What Musicians Should Know about Copyright
When Does Music Become Public Domain?
What Constitutes A Song? Copyright Works In A Song
Public domain music


Click here to download a list of copyrights issued in America

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