1. Has anybody used the Star-Spangled Banner on their Part 15 station for sign-on/sign-off?
2. If so, were there licensing fees charged to you?
This version is marked Paublic Domain
The question and an answer originated from the gravel of our temp directory.. which also discussed the copyright https://www.part15.org/community/temp/star-spangled-banner-for-part-15/#post-50173
Good topic which is applicable to both the US and Canada as we both have national anthems - I guess all do.
But it led me to wondering; how many of us actually shut down every night?
Myself, not yet broadcasting, but when I do it's generally a 24/7 broadcast that's mostly unattended. Usually had Zara feeding the transmitter nonstop the entire summers, even longer... So there was no sign offs... or not many.
So the questions becomes 1. how often do you "sign off" and/or shut down, reboot, whatever. And 2. how often, if ever have you played national anthems on your station?
And question 3. Is anybody out there? Besides me hollaring around the back halls, it's been pretty quiet here for two days.
@richpowers I am always out here but don't post sometimes when I'm working on something else.
I am familiar with the tradition of playing the U.S. National Anthem at sign on/off but it is not an FCC requirement so I have never done it. In fact my personal view is that the flag and anthem are mainly for display by U. S. Government & military entities and for the civilian population is merely a frill.
KDX played the Ukrainian national anthem at the outset of the war as a gesture of empathy toward a country under unprovoked assault.
@richpowers No, I have never played the national anthem and I don't sign off. If I go off it's to do some "technical" adjustments, change something with event scheduling, add something, Not really signing off. I do it at a time when no one likely to be listening. I wouldn't think a national anthem would be copyrighted and need permission to play it.
I am always checking in here as you know I am moderator but I can't always think of new things to post and can't always comment if I don't know enough about the subject or don't have anything to add but all posts are seen and read by me so rest assured you are not talking to the wall.
If we want listeners we can't "sign off" or only be on for certain times as if someone actually tunes in and hears nothing you have just lost a potential listener. The few listeners I have, 3 I know of could be tuning in anytime.
@mark There's a whole explanation to it being a free use recording on the Archive's page.
I've played it a few times over the years at appropriate times, but it's never been in daily playlist. But if I were to shutdown nightly, Id probably consider doing it with the national anthem.. like they did in the ole days.
Incidentally, that exact recording is, as I'm sure you'll all recognize, the same one that played right before the constant tone screamed at the end of the broadcast day (with TV anyway) in the 1960s 70s 80s.. some even today.
ChatGPT says:
Yes, the U.S. National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner," is in the public domain.
The music was composed by John Stafford Smith in 1775, and the lyrics were written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. Both the music and lyrics are now in the public domain, meaning anyone can use, perform, and reproduce it without needing permission or paying royalties.
This is because works published before 1924, like "The Star-Spangled Banner," are generally considered to be in the public domain in the United States, unless they were specifically renewed under copyright law. Since the anthem's music and lyrics were published long before this, it is free to use by anyone.
@carl-blare Right. and no performance rights either for the linked rendition of the song because it's a government band.
As of January 1, 2024, all works (including books, music creations, films, etc.) 1928 & prior were in the public domain in the U.S. All sound recordings 1923 and prior were in the public domain. That means you ccan do whatever you want with the works or the recordings, including broadcasting, without paying any license fees.
Those years bump up at the beginning of the next calendar year to 1929 and 1924 respectively.
There may be works and sound recordings later than these dates in the public domain, as copyright had to be registered, and renewed explicitly until the laws were changed in the 1970s. Copyright on works also had to be explicitly declared in a particular format, or they became invalid and the works fell into the public domain. There's at least one Hitchcock film (whose name escapes me right now) that messed up the copyright declaration and immediately fell out of copyright. There are also numerous other films and older, 1950s TV shows that also meet this criteria (such as some of the older Andy Griffith shows).
Canada is at least simpler.
Copyright on published works was life + 50 years until 2022, when it was extended to at least 75 years. But works that had fallen into the public domain remained there (i.e., it was not retroactive). Some Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin songs, for example, are in the public domain here, as they were written in 1970.
Copyright on published sound performances was a straight 50 years until 2015, when again the laws changed to extend that term. That means that all sound performances 1964 and prior are in the public domain, as the law was not retroactive.
Canada also recognizes the Berne convention for all countries except the U.S. and Mexico (which is covered under the NAFTA 2 treaty). That means that if a song is in the public domain in its home country, then it is also in the public domain in Canada. It does not operate the other way, however; a song can be in the public domain in Canada because of our laws, but still be protected in its home country (depending on the home country's laws of course).
The U.S. is actually a signatory of the Berne convention, but does not apply the particular section about public domain works.
So you can see that there are a great many more works and sound performances in the public domain in Canada than in the U.S., as our copyright laws have generally been more straightforward and less restrictive until recently.
@artisan-radio There's all the info laid out all nice and neat by a welcome voice!
Took me by surprise.. So Artisian, you ever play your national anthem on Artisian Radio?
I never actually thought of it, as we go 24/7, and don't have a sign-in, sign-off.
And although I believe, overall, Canada is one of the greatest countries to live in the world (alongside some European ones), I'm not a rah rah patriot kind of person. I believe that attitude, overdone, is one of the reasons there are so many problems these days.
@artisan-radio Agreed, however a sign-off with the national anthem is hardly a Rah rah kind of thing.. or here, for the 4th of July or Veterans day. At least I dont consider it as a potential divisional thing to do.
A local 24-hour a day radio station re-declares the 'start of the broadcast day' at 5:15 in the morning by playing "God Bless America".