Using IMSLP music for competition

[flutediva]

Hello
I wanted to use the Widor, OP.34 score and part for a competition. The competition has very strict rules though about what we are allowed to use. Do you have a page similar to what CD Sheetmusic has for this or is there a page I can use to show that the page is in public domain and free for use?
Thank you

[steltz]

I haven't downloaded the file to look at, but it looks like it might the reprint rather than the original Heugel. Not everyone is aware that a mere reprint doesn't qualify for a new copyright term, so you may run into people saying that the Masters Music/Kalmus part is under copyright.

Perhaps you should take a screen shot (using the Print Screen button) of the work page from IMSLP, send it to the competition organizers and point out that the V/V/V coding means that the work is in the public domain in the United States, Canada, and the EU, and the reprint isn't protected. Ask them to confirm that you are allowed to use it.

[flutediva]

Thank you
I will try that.

[steltz]

Good luck -- I hope you win!!

[daphnis]

Basically, if you are able to download the file, it is either public domain or license-allowed. For this suite, it was first published ca. 1900 and subsequently reprinted by Masters Music. Virtually everything published before 1923 is public domain in the United States.

[steltz]

I thought that would be the case with this, but I also thought she should try to contact the competition organizers first. If they work à la Royals Schools and Trinity, music can be public domain, and students will still be disqualified for using photocopies . . . .

[daphnis]

Maybe this would be appropriate impetus for us to create a service by which we as representatives of IMSLP could provide a document vouching for the copyright status of a given work?

[steltz]

Great idea -- we don't need to be country-specific, necessarily. It can say, for example:

"This edition of [name of the work] is in the public domain in countries that have a copyright law of 'life + 70 years' or less (for example the UK or EU [name a few more]), which means that photocopies are legal."

Any ideas on how to make it forge-proof?

[KGill]

Maybe this would be appropriate impetus for us to create a service by which we as representatives of IMSLP could provide a document vouching for the copyright status of a given work?

Hate to chime in on a negative note here, but for many competitions I'm afraid that probably won't make any difference. From what I hear, most competitions have policies expressly forbidding the use of any sort of photocopies (never mind if the edition copied is from 2000 or 1800, they don't care); thus they show from the start that they aren't concerned with copyright law at all per se, and will disqualify you anyway. At least, I've never heard anything that would contradict that...

[steltz]

I realize that, and likewise, I don't expect to change attitudes like those of Royal Schools or Trinity any time soon, but if we keep chipping away at attitudes, it might help in the long run. I still think flutediva should check with the organizers, and if there is anything else we can do to help her, maybe it will start causing other organizations to make small changes that will lead to bigger changes ... (ever the optimist)

[Philidor]

There's an IMSLP Journal article which touches on this problem: Music Librarians & Magic Super-Copyright

... some music examination boards who enforce a 'no playing from photocopies without written permission from the publisher' rule upon examinees.

If the music is copied from a public domain source there is no good reason why it can't be used in an examination, with or without the publisher's consent. It's absurd to insist that an impecunious student should spend money on public domain sheet music which is available for free, legal download.

Far better for the money to be spent on copyrighted music so a portion of it goes to a living composer, and to a publishing house brave enough to publish his or her music, as opposed to one which churns out public domain reprints...