Terms of
Use
Submissions
~ Tunes and Copyright ~
Which songs and tunes are in the public domain?
Music published in the USA before January 1, 1923 is
in the public domain,
and can be arranged and published without prior
permission.
US copyright law and practice does not always agree with other foreign
countries,
which has created some controversy on the internet.
Very helpful is this overview:
https://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
Can you copyright public domain music?
Only an original arrangement, that actually prints on
paper.
The underlying tune still remains in the public
domain.
For example, you can take a piece of music
paper, copy the melody line for "Kumbaya",
add your own
harmony/chords, and put your name + copyright on the finished
work.