Arrangements?

[amos]

I have a question about arranging tunes.If I am looking to cover, say, a European Folk Song, and I happen across someone else's arrangement of that song, can I use that person's arrangement for my own cover or do I have to pay that person, or at least credit him with the arrangement?thanks in advance

[avillaronga]

As far as I know, unless the arrangement is also in the Public Domain then you would have to get permission from the copyright holder for that arrangement.This is a usual source of confusion when working with Public Domain works since a lot of the time the work that is in the Public Domain is an original version but there may be other versions or arrangements that are not covered under Public Domain. For example, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is in the public domain so you could record and copyright a new arrangement of the original version. Walter Murphy's funk arrangement of the 5th symphony is not Public Domain so you could not make a version based on that arrangement and copyright right it without the permission of the copyright holder for that arrangement. This applies to being able to copyright your arrangements, there are other alternatives for using such arrangements in some cases but I think those are rare, for example, if a music supervisor was willing to get a sync license from the arrangement's copyright holder. Of course, I'm assuming you're talking about being able to use the arrangement in film/tv.HTHAntonio

[ciskokidd]

Hi Amos,I agree with everything Antonio says above. I think you should work through your own arrangement. You would probably have a lot of fun doing it and have pride that it is your version and not someone else's. Tracking down the copyright owner can be a hassle and getting them to either grant you a license or give your permission could end up being unfruitful in the end.Best of luck,Cisco

[amos]

Thanks Antonio and ciskokidd. Very helpful info.