Where does one obtain copyright permission for music only not lyrics of the song Les Bicyclettes de Belsize?

Answer 1

The question has different answers depending on what you want. I'll start generally.

* Basically the copyright is reserved for the creator and what you can apply for is a usage license. The copyright is a more or less universal agreement, but unfortuately the laws governing it is a little different in each country. Thus you mey need a specific answer for your country.

* The license is usually connected to a fee, but more importantly to the usage. You may get a license to create a midi version of it, you may license the right to play that version in a consert and then broadcast a recording on your website. You may license the right to record and sell. Before you know what you want to do with the music you can hardly get the answer right. The license you get is specific as the right to "do anything I like with the music" would cost you a lot.

* Taking a rightful recording and playing/performing that in any (public) way is music usage. The good thing is that it is done so often that the routines to get such a license is rather easy to follow. Usually the same routines follow if you want to do a straight off cover, or play music from a sheet etc. The thing is that music copyright owners have joined together to form "music rights associations" that watch their rights and they make the routine work. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCAP ASCAP] is one such firm. They are different in different regions but they often collaborate so that you can concentrate on one in your area.

* If you want to put the music in a new, possibly unintended, scenario you need special rights for that. In the same way that you don't want your words taken by someone else and used in ways you didn't plan for, even if they are all fine intended, the music owner want to have control over how the music is used. One part is for commercial reasons, one is for the sake of art. Using a song promoting world peace as background music in a weapond commercial needs to be cleared with the rights owners, and so does every other refitting of music. Simply putting a new text, a new style and arrangement, images or movie, dance and acting, all of these need special permissions. Even sampling a few notes is likely something you need to license. This usage is much more specific and complicated and may not be handled by the rights association. Even so, they should be a first contact as they can guide you on to the correct rights owner for what you want.

* A rule of thumb is that the music work is free of copyright if the owner has been dead for 70 years. By that rule it's safe to play Mozart as much as you want. Beware however that there may still be publisher and performer rights to pay attention to. If the music is played from CD you can be sure that the recording is copyrighted (but possibly public domain) by the record company and the performer. If the music is printed sheet music you have a publisher that restricts usage.

* The actual music "Les Bicyclettes de Belsize" is from a movie score. The movie company, the record company, the performer, the composer... all have a theoretical say in the music usage. I'd say the best place to start asking for rights is the rights associations.

Read more.

* http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/music-licensing.htm

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_copyright_law