Music generally enters the public domain seventy years after the death of the original artist. Public domain music is music that no one owns the exclusive rights to. That said, you can confirm the copyright status of a song by checking to see if it is in the public domain. Legally speaking, it is safest to assume a given song is copyrighted before casually adding it to your project, as the copyright owners could hit you with a hefty fine for using their music without permission. When a song is created, it is automatically copyrighted, meaning only the original creator has the right to make copies or use the song as he or she sees fit.

Users pay a one-time fee to obtain the license and can then employ the tracks in their projects without worrying about paying ongoing fees (i.e. Royalty-free music libraries such as PremiumBeat offer a wide range of non-copyrighted songs. Some licenses allow for redistribution of the song as long as it remains in its original state, while others allow the song to be remixed. All Creative Commons licenses require that users give credit to the original creator of the song when they share it.

Creative Commons music is protected by license, but the requirements of the licenses vary. After those years have passed, the songs become unlicensed music and can be copied, distributed, and performed by anyone who is interested. Copyright laws protect musical compositions for seventy years after the original author’s death. Public domain music can be used without permission or payment because it is not protected by copyright. Uncopyrighted music can be found in the public domain, under creative commons music licenses, or in royalty-free music libraries. An interested party can generally pay a one-time fee to obtain permission for use. Uncopyrighted music is music that is not exclusively owned by the original creator.