January 1, 2019 was a really big, red-letter kind of day for writers, composers, musicians, filmmakers and artists and creators of all kinds. Why? Because that’s the date on which works protected under the federal copyright laws prior to 1978 and published prior to January 1, 1923 enter the public domain. When a work enters […]
Aretha Franklin and Respect and Money.
“Respect” was Aretha Franklin’s breakthrough hit. She covered Otis Redding and made that song her very own. Since Aretha recorded “Respect”, in 1967, it has been played on the radio more than 7,000,000 times. For all that airplay, Aretha received not one dime. Why is that? Because under federal copyright law, American radio stations pay […]
