Musopen
musopen.org
A nonprofit that records and releases public domain classical music with no performance rights restrictions — providing free sheet music, recordings, and textbooks for composers, educators, and filmmakers.
Musopen is a non-profit that records and releases public-domain classical music and shares sheet music, recordings and textbooks for free. The aim is to give musicians, teachers, filmmakers and students music they can use without licensing fees or performance restrictions.
You can search by composer, instrument or period, and many recordings can be downloaded. Some premium features and extra content require an account, so check what is available before you rely on it. It is a good source of free classical music for projects such as videos, podcasts and school events.
Why it is useful
Classical music recordings are theoretically in the public domain, but new performances carry their own copyright — which is why most classical music cannot be freely used. Musopen commissions new recordings specifically to release them copyright-free, making them legal for use in films, games, education, and any other project. The sheet music library is also comprehensive and free.
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