Folk songs, old classics and songs nobody can trace back to a writer are some of the most recorded music in the world. You can record them too. What trips artists up is that a song has two separate parts, and only one of them may be free.
Two parts: the song and the recording
| The song (composition) | The recording | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Melody and lyrics | A specific performance captured on tape or file |
| When it is free | When its copyright term has ended in that country, or it is traditional with no known writer | Only when the recording's own term has ended |
| Your new version | You may record it | Your new recording belongs to you |
So you can record an old song yourself. You cannot take an old recording made by someone else, even of a free song, and release it as yours.
Public domain is not the same everywhere
- United States. On 1 January 2026, songs published in 1930 and sound recordings published in 1925 entered the public domain.
- European Union and many other countries. Songs stay protected for 70 years after the death of the writer.
- Some countries. The term is 50 years after the death of the writer.
A song can be free in one country and protected in the next. Streaming services sell in many countries at once, so check the writer's date of death, not only the year the song came out.
How to credit the composer
Apple's Music Style Guide says that for selections of unknown authorship, such as a folk song, you use Anonymous or Traditional as the composer. If the writer is known, credit them by name even if the song is free. If you wrote a new arrangement or new lyrics, credit what you added as yours.
Why stores are stricter with these releases
- Apple lists public domain content among the kinds of content that may be rejected, and asks that public domain deliveries use only a version made from the best available source.
- Repeated copies are hidden. Apple hides content delivered several times with slightly different details.
- No "Public Domain" in the title. Apple treats words like "Royalty Free" or "Public Domain" in a title as misleading.
A clearly new performance, with its own artwork and correct credits, is a different thing from re-uploading old material. That is what passes.
YouTube Content ID
YouTube lists public domain recordings and compositions among the content that is not eligible for Content ID. Do not switch Content ID on for a traditional or public domain song unless you are sure what would be claimed, because the claim could catch other people's performances of the same song.
With Mazufa
Releasing with Mazufa is free: no upload fee, no subscription and no per-release fee, with the revenue share set out in your written agreement. Traditional and public domain songs go through the same review as every release, and you may be asked for the source of the song and the writer's details. Apply at mazufa.com/apply.
Sources
- Apple Music Style Guide — https://help.apple.com/itc/musicstyleguide/en.lproj/static.html
- YouTube Help, Content eligible for Content ID — https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2605065
- Duke Law Center for the Study of the Public Domain, Public Domain Day 2026 — https://cspd.law.duke.edu/publicdomainday/2026
On the limits of this guide. Copyright terms depend on the country and on facts about each song. This is not legal advice.