Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [copyrights]

Please DO NOT ask questions about copyright here, as they are not on-topic. Copyright is a legal concept, that grants the creator of an original work rights.

Please do not ask questions about copyright here, as they are not on-topic for SE: Music Practice & Theory, and will be closed. Try SE: Law instead.

Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time, with the intention of enabling the creator of intellectual wealth (e.g. the composer of a song or the author of a book) to receive compensation for their work and be able to financially support themselves.

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In jazz, can anyone play any song?

In Jazz a lot of people play and record songs from other jazz players/composers. For instance Mingus played a lot of songs by Duke. My question is this: Are those songs copyrighted? Can anyone play them? I mean, can I record a song of Duke's on my…
Shevliaskovic
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When performing for money, do musicians have to buy special sheet music for copyright purposes?

In the same way that I can't buy a cd and broadcast it at a radio station without​ paying royalties, does a musician have to buy or pay extra to perform a piece?
Michael Stachowsky
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Publishing score

I have composed a piano piece that I am going to performe at my next concert in a small venue. I thought about selling my score to the audience after the performance, for a few pounds. I don't do it for getting rich, just for personal satisfaction.…
Vaaal
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Do I have to pay royalties for using my own rearrangement of a famous song as videogame bgm?

Some friends of mine are developing an indie visual novel, so I thought I would contribute a few tracks. Inspiration struck me while working on other stuff, so I ended up creating a slowed-down, ambient rearrangement of a famous alt-rock song from…
Editortoise-Composerpent
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Does including a sport commentator voice in a music track make me owe him mechanical royalties?

If I make some electronic music and it contains voice of a sport commentator (soccer game) over the music of my production, then when publishing the track, do I owe this commentator any royalties? Can this cause issues to my track being listed on…
werber bang
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Covering songs by other artists - does money change hands?

Many bands cover songs by other bands, unofficially at concerts, or usually on live recordings (for example, Kurt doing Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie, at an MTV unplugged concert. I always thought it was a form of "bigging up" the other…
bobobobo
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Can a performance of a piece be copyrighted even if the piece is public domain?

Is a performance of a piece protected by copyright, even if the piece being performed is not? E.g., can someone claim copyright on their playing and audio recording of Fur Elise so that others may not reuse that audio without their permission? In…
theonlygusti
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Who can remix a song?

I'm thinking of trying to learn how to remix songs with GarageBand and similar applications. So far I'm a total noob, and I'm just wondering who is allowed remix what songs? Is anyone allowed to remix a popular song and call it their own? Or is it…
Blundering Philosopher
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What is the scope of copyright?

I was studying My Favorite Things by John Coltrane to play on piano, while listening to it and its other versions I have learned that this Jazz standard was actually from a motion picture called Sound of Music. John Coltrane version: Sound of…
kuti
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Is it possible to get the actual sheet music for a particular song?

I just started learning the piano after 25 years. I'm trying to find sheet music for a particular song I want to play. The internet is full of arrangements done by other people; however, I am wondering if there is a way to get the actual sheet music…
anon
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Are keyboard-workstation accompaniments copyrightable?

There is a keyboard accompaniment that I heard once on a Wurlitzer home spinet organ that sounded beautiful. I want to create variations on that accompaniment and turn it into a song. If I publish such a song, can Wurlitzer do anything?
JohnnyApplesauce
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Conditions of mixage/remix of an old music track

I am an amateur musician and I would like to do some mixage (partial exploitation, such as a melody) or remix of some Jazz oldies and publish them in YouTube. I don't earn money from this (no video monetizing) so I don't envisage spending money (on…
Farah
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Can I play the song or music piece that I don’t write?

Can I play or sing the song that I don’t own? Is there any law related to the rights to play and sing a song when you are with friends or at home?
Anh Nguyễn Thế
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