As others state, copyright in songs in the UK is life + 70 years after the death of the author composer - and if valid arrangements of trad. works can hold a copyright if they are distinctive enough to have some originality. In terms of recordings rather than songs copyright is 70 years post publication. Anything pre-1963 recording wise (not song wise), is out of UK copyright (though this is not stopping recording companies making money out of recordings that are in effect public domain).