What is copyright free piano sheet music?
Copyright free sheet music is sheet music (often containing music and lyrics) that is no longer protected by copyright. This means the song / music can be used without requiring royalties to be paid to the original composer.
Such songs may once have been copyright protected (ie royalties were once due for the usage) but after a period of time, copyright protected music and lyrics becomes 'copyright free' also known as 'public domain'.
What sheet music is copyright free?
The question of what sheet music is copyright free and what is copyright protected is often one for hot debate! Many people assume wrongly that if it is a folk song, then it must be copyright free.
Although it is true that in general, old songs are copyright free, many traditional songs such as ‘Ride On”, ‘Song For Ireland’ and 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' are copyright protected.
Puff The Magic Dragon written by Peter, Paul & Mary is copyright protected and the copyright for sheet music in the UK is handled by Faber Publishing.
When does a song become copyright free / public domain?
According to the Berne Convention, songs are protected by copyright for 50 years after the death of the author or composer (or the last living composer if it was co-written by several composers).
Different countries can apply their own laws to amend this, for example but the UK law extends this further to 70 years. After this, the songs are considered to be public domain and can be used without restriction.
Exceptions to usual copyright rules
Occasionally, there is an exception to the standard rules, for example with Peter Pan, which was composed by J M Barrie. Copyright protection for this song was due to expire in 1987, but which was extended by an amendment to 1988 Copyright Designs and Patents Act. The copyright for Peter Pan was extended indefinitely in the UK, the reason being to provide ongoing royalty payments to the Great Ormond Street Hospital charity.
Does 'copyright free' mean free to use?
A common misconception is that ‘copyright free’ song sheets can be obtained ‘free of charge’. Arrangers and publishers of this music often incur costs in creating and publishing the music which means that they need to charge for the sheet music.
Copyright free DecPlay song sheets
DecPlay uses a unique format of song sheet called PianoTabz which is much easier to learn than traditional music notation. The DecPlay Beginners Piano Course includes over 100 copyright free song sheets. For a free lesson on how to read DecPlay song sheets, go to www.DecPlay.com
Copyright protected DecPlay song sheets
DecPlay song sheets for copyright protected songs are available to purchase here from Sheet Music Direct.
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