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Topic: Recording Others' Arrangements of Public Domain Music?  (Read 1190 times)

Offline lephantome92

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Recording Others' Arrangements of Public Domain Music?
on: September 15, 2015, 07:46:59 PM
I'm currently working on Katsuma Nakajima's arrangement of Gustav Holst's The Planets suite. I want to record it when I'm fully proficient at it and, ideally, sell the recording (somewhat in the manner of several artists on YouTube who post a video there but put a link to buy the recording), but I'm rather confused about if I would be able to do so. The confusion stems from the fact that The Planets is now PD, but the arrangement is by someone who is still alive. I've tried searching for how copyright laws would work in this situation, but they're vague at best. Is anyone particularly knowledgeable on this subject?

Offline indianajo

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Re: Recording Others' Arrangements of Public Domain Music?
Reply #1 on: September 16, 2015, 10:28:33 AM
Certain websites have a rights management department for works in copyright.  With video, Youtube is famous for the ads it sells and the forwarding of some revenue to copyright owners that protest.  
Without video, I believe soundcloud does this, but it is not so famous.  But it does carry works played by individuals written by many pop bands, which are certainly in copyright.  If the owner protests, the website can certainly delete your post if the arrangement is not satisfactory.  There are conditions where works of dead composers are still in copyright, so investigate that if recording another work where that might apply. 
If you make a recording of an arrangement by someone living or otherwise in copyright, be sure to credit the arranger with correct spelling, and use a website with a rights management department.  I wouldn't post something in copyright on a low cost low service website like pianostreet.  
 

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