In one of the articles I read it says that all music published in the U.S. before 1998 are in the public domain, then another said that it was all dependent upon notices etc...

Let me pose a scenario so I can get some clarification. If I want to use...say a Rolling Stones song, and a song by The Hollies, and another by Led Zepplin, what would I have to do?

1998? Where did you read this...? That's definitely not the case. Basically, any music you will plausibly want to use (anything after the early '30s) stands a very good chance of still being copyrighted.

quote:

In one of the articles I read it says that all music published in the U.S. before 1998 are in the public domain,

It probably said 1898. I'd double check.

You're not using a Led Zeppelin song. Jimmy Paige has allowed like... maybe 10 movies to use Led Zeppelin songs.

Let's not forget the 'timeless' Cadillac commercial that they *****d out 'Rock and Roll' for...

Basically, anyone posting on this forum lacks the financing to license anything by Zeppelin, the Stones, etc.

I'm not actually posing a real scenario, I was just trying to get some kind of frame of reference.

Ah, the website says 1922.

http://www.pdinfo.com/

So, if I want to use a song in a film that will not be making any income, is that acceptable?

No. Not legally, anyway. Not if the film is publicly exhibited.

I use to use copyrighted songs in a lot of my first productions. Ha, funny thinking about my first things. I'd simply have people either running or walking to like rock music.

I think most good films, that aren't like romantic comedies, have been made from scratch. I would suggest working with a musician to come up with something original, specifically made for your movie. In the end, it's so much neater to think it was made just for your movie. Then again, you may completely disagree.

Anyway, a lot of the time I like Shyamalan's philosophy on the whole thing. He, like I'd guess many, believe that music is but a crutch supporting a lacking story. Not something I ENTIRELY agree with, but definetely true to some extents.

Anyway, what's this movie about?

Tyler

yeah, even the cliche orchestrated john williams star wars-esque is getting so annoying, heres a great speech by Jim Jarmusch on music and how annoying it is and how much better it is to get something good and orginal (like Neil Young's amazing score for "Dead Man" if at all.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECDpE4DLzGI

So just to clarify--
If I have, say, a Russian recording of some philharmonic perfoming some Bach? Yes? No?

HDK, that clip was most enlightening. Thanks for sharing it.

1922 sounds more like it.

quote:

Let's not forget the 'timeless' Cadillac commercial that they *****d out 'Rock and Roll' for...

Basically, anyone posting on this forum lacks the financing to license anything by Zeppelin, the Stones, etc.

The rights and permissions are different for commericials. I'll look up the article when I get to school later, but I remember reading how they obtained that. If I remember correctly, it was only leased out temporarily and really didn't have the blessing of Paige or any of the other members of Zeppelin. It was allowed because they leased it temporarily from the record company, and it makes sense. They're not going to broadcast that commercial for more than a year or more. It isn't timeless. Films are timeless. You don't go to Blockbuster and rent a commercial. When it comes to film rights, Zeppelin is very very particular. The only movies I can think of that use Zeppelin songs (aside from Puffy's bastardization of Kashmir that they used in the crappy 98 Godzilla film) are School of Rock, Almost Famous, and (I think) Oceans 12.

Well, to be honest there is only one sequence in question where I may be in need of copyrighted music.

It is going to be a scene of very intense emotion, and hopefully some successfully "tricky" camera work, and I had been hoping to accompany it with Bobby Helms and the Anita Kerr Singers version of "Jingle Bell Rock".

I can't find a publishing date though.

It was written in 1957 by Bobby Helms.