CompuServe Messages

>>Is the same true for classical music?<< The music itself may no longer be subject to copyright protection, but the performance is likely to be. I strongly recommend that if you are producing commercially, that you take great pains to ensure you are not infringing on someone elses copyrights. The only music I will use in a production is music for which I have obtained explicit license to use for that purpose. There are several ways to go. If you have a huge production budget, you can license a classical performance you want to use thru BMI or ASCAP. Lots of bucks. Second, you can go to misic libraries. These companies advertize in Videography, Video Maker, DV, etc. There are three types of licenses: 1. Blanket royalty. You pay x dollars per year which allows you to incorporate their music in your productions. 2. Needledrop (sometimes called laserdrop these days). You pay x dollars, somethimes y dollars per minute for music which you incorporate. Usage has to be reported back to the library company. 3. Buyout libraries. Here you pay $50-$100 per compact disk. In return, you get unlimited, perpetual rights to use that disk in your products. This is the way that most low budget production is done. You probably get somewhat less choice and quality with buyout, but it's cheap<g>. Some of the buyout libraries I use are Music Bakery, Gene Michaels, and David Lieder. Most will let you have a 30-day audition of the material. Hope this helps… Bob Bruneau