Best Places to Find Public Domain Instrumental Music
Contents
Looking for some great places to find public domain instrumental music? Look no further! In this post, we’ll share some of our top picks for websites and YouTube channels that offer high-quality, royalty-free tracks.
Introduction
Free public domain classical music
The following websites offer a great selection of free public domain music in every genre, from classical to contemporary. If you’re looking for some tunes to study or work to, or just want to relax and listen to some beautiful music, these websites will have you covered.
-Art Songs by Women Composers
-Classical Archives
-IMSLP/Petrucci Music Library
-Internet Archive
-Musopen
What is Public Domain Music?
Public domain music is music that is not protected by copyright and can be used by anyone for any purpose. This means that you can freely use public domain music for your own personal or commercial projects without worrying about copyright infringement. There are a variety of places that you can find public domain music.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to make copies of a creative work, to sell or distribute those copies, and to perform or display the work publicly. Copyright protection exists for a limited time—generally for the life of the author plus 70 years.
Public domain is a category of works that are not protected by copyright and can be freely used by anyone. Works in the public domain may be used without permission from the copyright owner.
Copyright law is complex, and there are many factors to consider when trying to determine whether a work is in the public domain. If you are unsure whether a work is in the public domain, you should consult an attorney.
What is the Public Domain?
The public domain is a vast and varied body of creative works that are not protected by copyright and are therefore free for anyone to use or build upon. This includes things like traditional folk songs, works by long-dead classical composers, and old government documents. Basically, if a work is no longer under copyright protection, it’s in the public domain.
There are a few different ways that a work can enter the public domain. One is simply by age: anything created before 1923 is automatically in the public domain in the United States. (This is why you’ll often see old movies and songs referred to as “public domain.”) Works can also enter the public domain if their copyright term has expired; this can happen either because the copyright term was not renewed or because the work was never copyrighted to begin with. Finally, some creators may choose to dedicate their works to the public domain, making them permanently free for anyone to use.
While the public domain is an important resource for creators of all stripes, it’s especially valuable for musicians and filmmakers. That’s because traditional copyright law puts strict limits on what you can do with copyrighted music and video footage: you need to get permission from the copyright holder before you can use it in your own work (unless you fall under one of the many exceptions and limitations to copyright). But works in the public domain are available for anyone to use without restriction, which means you can incorporate them into your own creations without worrying about getting sued.
Of course, just because a work is in the public domain doesn’t mean it’s necessarily good--there’s a reason most people haven’t heard of most of the works on this list! But if you’re looking for some raw material to start working with, the public domain can be a great place to find it.
Types of Public Domain Music
Public domain music is music that is not protected by copyright and can be used by anyone for any purpose. Most public domain music is released under a Creative Commons license, which allows you to use the music for free as long as you give credit to the artist.
There are two main types of public domain music: classical and folk. Classical music includes works by Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, while folk music includes traditional songs from around the world.
If you’re looking for public domain instrumental music, there are a few places you can find it. The Internet Archive’s Music section has a large collection of public domain classical and folk music, as well as World War I-era propaganda songs. Another great resource for public domain instrumental music is Musopen, which has a wide selection of classical pieces that you can download and use for free.
Where to Find Public Domain Music
There are a few different ways that you can go about finding public domain music. You can find it through websites that offer free downloads, or you can look for it on websites that allow you to stream music for free. You can also find public domain music through Creative Commons websites.
Free Music Archive
The Free Music Archive is an online resource for free and legal music. It was launched in 2009 and is a project of WFMU, a freeform radio station in New Jersey. The site offers a variety of tracks that are all available for free and legal download. You can browse the site by genre, artist, or popularity, and there is also a search function.
Musopen
Musopen is a website with the stated goal of providing “free public domain music for musicians and music lovers”. According to their website, they are “a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and accessibility of classical music”. Musopen provides sheet music, recordings, and textbooks to the public for free, without copyright restrictions.
Musopen was founded in 2005 by Aaron Dunn. He was inspired to create Musopen after reading an article about a music school that was forced to close its doors because it could not afford the royalties for the music it wanted to use. Dunn set out to find a way to make classical music accessible to everyone.
Musopen has two main goals:
-To provide sheet music for all types of Instruments
-To create recordings of this sheet music so people can hear what it sounds like
Incompetech
Incompetech is a website created by Kevin MacLeod. On the site, you can find a huge collection of songs that you can use for free, as long as you give MacLeod credit. The music is available in MP3 and WAV formats. You can also find the royalty-free music on sites like SoundCloud and YouTube.
Public Domain 4U
Public Domain 4U is a great website to find public domain music. The website includes a large selection of music, including classical, jazz, rock, and pop. The website also includes a section on public domain movies.
MobyGratis
MobyGratis is a website created by electronic musician Moby, where you can download hundreds of tracks of high-quality, royalty-free music for free. The music on MobyGratis is perfect for use in film, TV, and online video productions. All of the tracks are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license, so you can use them for free as long as you give credit to Moby.
Conclusion
There are many great places to find public domain instrumental music. You can often find this type of music on websites that offer free or paid downloads. You can also find public domain instrumental music on CDs or DVDs that are available for purchase.
