[Dixielandjazz] Quick reference tune list of 20 Songs in Public Domain

[Steve Barbone]

Bob Ringwald asked about public domain tunes that you might list when faced
with the money grubbers from ASCAP, BMI and/or SESAC. And Ray Osnato pays a
$35 ASCAP fee for more current tunes. Below is my quick 20 PD list:

1840    Frankie & Johnny Were Lovers
1902    Bill Bailey
1903    Ida
1909    Memphis Blues
1909    Some Of These Days
1910    That's Why They Call Me Shine
1911    Waiting For The Robert E. Lee
1911    Alexander's Ragtime Band
1912    All The Things You Are
1914    St Louis Blues
1914    Yellow Dog Blues
1915    Jelly Roll Blues
1917    At The Jazz Band Ball
1917    Back Home Again In Indiana
1917    Rose Room
1917    Original Dixieland One Step
1917    Darktown Strutters Ball
1917    Tiger Rag
1918    After You've Gone
1919    Royal Garden Blues

Others include: My Honey's Lovin Arms, China Boy, Chinatown My Chinatown,
Sensation Rag, Take Me Out To The Ball Game, Dallas Blues, Peg O' My Heart,
Ballin The Jack, I Ain't Got Nobody, Pretty Baby, Poor Butterfly (beautiful
verse), Livery Stable Blues, Hindustan, Ja Da, Dardanella, Mandy, Avalon,
Whispering, Purple Rose of Cairo, Loveless Love, Wang Wang Blues, There'll
Be Some Changes Made, Wabash Blues, The Sheik of Araby, Chicago, Runnin
Wild, My Buddy, Limehouse Blues + many, many more.

All 1922 or prior and in public domain for whenever the Tune Nazis are out
and about. I do over 100 concerts a year with over 200 people in attendance,
some with 5000 in the audience and so Ray's $35 fee would become $3500 to
$5000 a year. That's a lot of money for a scam. And if you've licensed songs
for a CD, it's approximately $80 per song, 3 minutes or less, so if Billy
Joel paid $500 for a multi thousand audience, the rest of us get screwed
licensing 15 songs for a 1000 CD run. (Costs over $1200 for the license)

And what to do if playing for free? Pay a license fee? I don't think so.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone