Hi,

    I am just beginning a project recording songs which are in the public domain. I planned to use www.pdmusic.org as an initial resource, as it is a collection of songs which are supposed to be out of copyright, however I would like a second opinion on song of the selections. Does anyone know of a way to double-check copyright ownership?

    An example of why I would like to check is in the case of 'Nobody knows you when you're down and out' by Jimmy Cox. I have the sheet music of Eric Claptons Unplugged versoin which states the copyright as being 1922, 1929, 1978 MCA Music Publishing. Where does that leave the song regarding usage?? Is this copyright on the actual material, or recorded versions (I believe Bessie Smith recorded a version in 1929)?

Many Thanks for any help, this is proving a bit of a stumbling block to starting researching and recording in earnest!

(I am in the UK, if that makes any difference to laws etc.)

Andy