Musopen is a non-profit library of copyright free music, which is currently undergoing a fund raising drive in order to hire an orchestra to record all the major classical music works and release them to the public domain.
To say this is awesome is an understatement. The project has so far raised $36,000+ and it deserves more, much more. Pass it round to everyone you know, let’s show the copyright fascists what an open arts and culture society can do. There’s 39 hours to go before the initiative expires, so no dallying.
This project will use your donations to purchase and release music to the public domain. Right now, if you were to buy a CD of Beethoven’s 9th symphony, you would not be legally allowed to do anything but listen to it. You wouldn’t be able to share it, upload it, or use it as a soundtrack to your indie film- yet Beethoven has been dead for 183 years and his music is no longer copyrighted.
Music is a ethical law. It gives soul to the world, wings to the intellect, flight to the imagination, and charm and joviality to life and to all.