Hi marilyn0627,
Copyright with regards to songs can be a little complicated, since
there is protection not only of the words/music but also of each
individual performance that is recorded. So, if you have a tape of
this song you will run into not just issues about the song itself but
also of the performance on your particular tape. The rights to the
performance are generally held by either the singer/performer or the
producer, and are noted somewhere in the liner notes for the
tape/cd/whatever.
That said, I have found that the US Copyright Office has registrations
for three performances of "Do You Know the Muffin Man". YOu can see
them by doing a combined or title search for the song at
http://www.copyright.gov/records/cohm.html.
The good news for you is that this nursery song was first written in
the 19th century (or possibly earlier) and so is in the public domain.
In the United States the public domain contains works
written/published before 1923, with a few additional works here and
there. So the song and tune should be free for your use however you
want to use it.
For more information on copyright law etc. I suggest you check out the
US Copyright Office website at http://www.copyright.gov/
Yours,
librariankt |
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