1925 had some incredible talent, and now those works copyrighted during that year are available to all!
Let’s talk about the new public domain music 2021 has to offer and why it matters to you.
What is public domain?
Public domain is essentially a statute of limitations on how long a copyright on a particular intellectual property can exist.
Once a work has entered the public domain, anyone can use it without fear of being sued or receiving a cease-and-desist order.
Copyright term limits are a little hairy, but it generally bears out to 95 years, or a rolling renewal of 28 years.
Due to international constraints and specific legal orders, sometimes these guidelines don’t always stand correct.
The 28-year renewal is an interesting phenomenon we’ll be circling back to later.
For now, let’s look into some of the most notable songs now available to all in the great year of 2021!
Sweet Georgia Brown by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard & Kenneth Casey
In this clip, the legendary Ella Fitzgerald is delivering a stellar vocal performance of the song that would become synonymous as the theme song for the Harlem Globetrotters.
Backing up Ella is the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Though the song was written in 1925, this particular performance was recorded live in 1966.
Challenge: Try to listen to this track without whistling along.
It’s harder than it seems if like me, you’ve grown up loving this tune!
Looking For A Boy by George and Ira Gershwin
Though this spectacular rendition was recorded later, the original composition is by titans of stage, George and Ira Gershwin.
Many of you might know the Gershwin family from the famed play Porgy and Bess (some of my favorite tunes originate here).
Their contributions to music and the performing arts cannot be overstated.
Jig Walk by Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington became a large part of my life in junior high school, when I decided that I was going to learn to play jazz on the violin.
Ellington didn’t particularly focus his efforts on the violin, but it was his compositions that got me thinking about jazz and not punk rock.
That story is for another time.
But with tunes like Satin Doll and Caravan, and Jig Walk on his albums, it’s hard not to credit Ellington with the influencing of a majority of modern jazz vocalists and instrumentalists.
Anybody Here Want To Try My Cabbage by “Fats” Waller
I’d be remiss if I didn’t include Mr. Waller. Of course, “Fats” was a nickname, but Waller took it and ran with it.
He was wildly successful both in America and in Europe and toured extensively.
This particular song is a great example of 1920’s recording, flows effortlessly and never feels forced, and delivers some of the smoothest vocals you’re going to hear.
Public Domain Can Help Old Stuff
When songs or movies hit public domain, they’re often viewed as “lesser” by those in the industry. This is mainly because it becomes impossible to make wealth-building money on something that requires no attribution to use.
However, in the case of one extremely famous Christmas movie, Public Domain was a second chance.
The movie is “It’s A Wonderful Life”. When first released, one could argue that the Jimmy Stewart film was a flop. It didn’t do all that well at the box office and was thus, almost forgotten.
Then, someone didn’t renew (or forgot to renew), the copyright claim for the movie and it became available under public domain. This prompted TV channels to run the movie on loop every holiday season.
As the next generation grew up, they were watching the same movie and falling in love with it. It turned into a wild success and now there are just as many people who love “It’s a Wonderful Life” as there are those who love “Elf” or “Miracle On 34th Street”.
The movie was firmly entrenched. Then…oddly…the music was pulled back under copyright. Interestingly, the movie is still under public domain. The law is fun, huh?
I jest, but life takes strange turns and it can be argued that “It’s a Wonderful Life” would have been better served free from it’s licensing chains. Regardless, many a child grew up watching the film each Christmas and for that, they will be forever grateful.
Final thoughts
Check out the Smithsonian and Duke University for a full run down of what is freshly available to you and your creative mind in the public domain.
If you’re interested in more music-related reading, check out our article asking “Is the Pandemic Causing Mega-Artists To Sell Their Music Catalogs?”