[Dixielandjazz] Public Domain music

[Bruce Stangeland]

Dave,

According to the Public Domain Music website: http://www.pdinfo.com/list.php

"List of Public Domain Music
Any Song or Musical Work Published in 1922 or Earlier is in the Public 
Domain in the USA.
No Sound Recordings are PD in the USA due to a tangled complexity of 
Federal and State Law.

All Public Domain Information on this Site is Based Entirely on USA 
Copyright Laws.
Public Domain Status Must Be Verified Separately for EACH Country where 
Music is Used.
Music Enters the Public Domain 70 Years after the Death of the Author in 
Most Countries Other than USA."

I know of a band that was recently shut out of a restaurant in the San 
Francisco Bay area under similar circumstances.

A restaurant that I play in has what the owner called a "Cabaret 
license". I believe he said it costs him several hundred $/year.
So, say you won't play anything written after 1922.

Good luck,
Bruce Stangeland
Berkeley banjoist

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Message: 9
Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:11:16 -0600
From: " Dave Gravatt " <dave at creolejazz.com>
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] ASCAP strikes again - our steady gig is in
	jeopardy
To: "DJML" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Message-ID: <20090623171116.11195.qmail at hoster902.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hey, gang. Looking for some advice regarding ASCAP. They've discovered our band is playing every week and have contacted the establishment and are attempting to extort funds. The restaurant doesn't want to pay it (I don't know how much yet), and we're getting fired unless we say we're playing only music that is "public domain".

I know this has been debated numerous times through the years here but what is the latest thinking on what is public domain? Music written before what year? If I have to say we're not playing anything written after 1925, for example, I will. 

Any help appreciated. 

Dave
===============
Dave Gravatt
Springfield, Missouri
http://www.creolejazz.com