Sound Treasures Enter the Public Domain by Internet Archive
| On January 1, 2022, something historic is about to happen. For the first time ever, 400,000 pre-1923 sound recordings will enter the public domain, thanks to a new U.S. law, the Music Modernization Act. To celebrate, Internet Archive are teaming up with powerhouses of the open knowledge world for a virtual event on January 20, “A Celebration of Sound.” And it’s not just music! On January 1st, children’s classic Winnie the Pooh, Hemingway’s A Sun Also Rises, Rudolph Valentino in The Son of the Sheik, in addition to musical recordings such as Scott Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, and thousands more–they’ll all be free for creative reuse and sharing. On January 20, 2022, the Internet Archive, Creative Commons and many other leaders from the Open world will honor the treasure trove of works published in 1926 that will enter the public domain next year. The public domain will grow richer with canonical works from authors like Hemingway, Faulkner and Dorothy Parker, silent film classics like Nanook of the North, and beloved children’s stories about Winnie-the Pooh and the Hundred Acre woods, becoming freely available to all. [read more…] |