The licensing organizations have grown increasingly powerful. Collectors are really not recognized by them because song royalties are considered individual intellectual property. The licensing organizations exist through collecting these royalties.

Collectors such as Lomax, Goldstein, Archie Green etc. have created an awareness that there is such a thing as American folk songs and folk music. Without these collectors there would be no Mudcat or folk music revival.

I believe the solution is a special fund for PD material so that claimants have no jurisdiction over royalty distribution and can't publish or claim authorship of songs that are PD. This will not be popular with publishers, licensing organizations and songwriters who make big money from their songs.

In this way, the PD song (ie: folk music belonging to the people) will be protected from financial interests.

This would not impede the copyrights of legitimate songwriters, publishers and licensing organizations.

Frank