In the 11/20 digest Marc Fontana wrote:

> My only concern is the copyright issue...  would Wayne have
> to prove each song to be in the public domain in order to
> distribute it this way?

This is a serious issue with me.  How does one find out that a
selection is in the public domain?  Can one rely on the fact that
anything copyrighted in 1919 and before is in the public domain?  And
songs copyrighted after 1919;  how to find out their status?

One person told me I could have a search done by the copyright office
but it cost $20(?) per hour.  Since no estimate can be given of the
time it would take, one essentially gives the office a carte-blanche.
Even at $20 each, one could go broke at that rate.  Isn't there an
official listing of tunes in the public domain?  Heck, this country is
so large, the demand must be there, shouldn't it?  I wonder if one
could make a business out of that?  (Perhaps the copyright office is
doing it right not, at $20+ per request)

Andy LaTorre¶
LaTorre Orgue Mecanique¶
Cullowhee, NC USA