alexseanchai | (no subject)

(no subject)

I want to write stories featuring modern Western square dance.

Square dance singing calls have song lyrics in them.

Commercial stories with song lyrics in them need permission from the songs' copyright holders.

Modern Western square dance postdates "Steamboat Willie".

Country music, the genre most closely associated with square dance, postdates "Steamboat Willie". (The first commercial recordings of what was considered country music were "Arkansaw Traveler" and "Turkey in the Straw" by fiddlers Henry Gilliland & A.C. (Eck) Robertson on June 30, 1922 for Victor Records and released in April 1923. Not sure of those records' copyright status, since the magic date before which things are US public domain is Jan 1 1923.)

Fuckity.

ETA: I am surprised by how many of these I know. I didn't realize most of them were that old.

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Wikipedia thinks 'Turkey in the Straw' is from the 1820s, so maybe all is not lost?

Turkey in the Straw wasn't country in the 1920s, and also I cannot stand it. It's just. If 1923 is when country was just getting started, there's hardly going to be any actual country music I can borrow.

Square dance was popular before the 1920s. It was before the genre of "country" was called "country", and definitely before either radio or the phonograph. I think you can probably also quote a big chunk of song lyrics under fair use. Further, recording of folk songs (which square dance comes under) do not give a claim to the song itself to the recorder. It's like someone recording a Christmas carol; they have the rights to that particular recording, but not to the carol itself.

Modern Western square dance and traditional square dance are not the same thing. And I do not in fact get to quote song lyrics under fair use. I probably should be able to. But I don't.

Yes, but they often use traditional square dance songs in modern square dance. Like "Turkey in the Straw", which likely is not the only one.

I've also read a lot of books that do quote song lyrics. It probably depends on the person whose lyrics you're quoting -- though maybe the books I'm thinking of were by people who could easily afford the permissions, too. Ugh, copyright law, I hate it so. Stupid Disney.

Let's see, I don't know if you've seen this, but I found a link to a bunch of songs: http://www.dosado.com/cgi-bin/lib/shop-wrapper.pl?page=cdmusic&shop=dosado&cart=7461853.5264. I know Battle Hymn of the Republic, Comin Through the Rye, and Hello My Baby are no longer under copyright, of the songs I see there. Oh god there's a Turkey in the Straw/Macarena hoedown.

I've also read books that quote song lyrics, and they always have a notice about it on the copyright page, even when it's just two lines.
Is 'She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain' the kind of music you need? Or 'Cotton-Eye Joe'?

Cotton-Eyed Joe is not a square dance, it's a round dance, though rounds are often done at square dances. It's a good thought, though!

Thanks for the link!

Turkey in the Straw...Macarena.

MY EYES THE GOGGLES DO NOTHING

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