I’m in love. And it’s with a website. Perhaps I just have music on the brain lately, but I came across a site called Musopen. I don’t know how many other people this completely applies to, but I’m wicked excited.

You see, I’ll think that a particular classical piece would be extremely well suited for say an audio or video piece, and while the piece itself is no longer copyrighted, the performance of that piece typically is. So, you usually just can’t use it unless you want to risk a cease and desist order or even worse–a law suit.

I suppose I could gather 50 of my closest friends together for our own little performance, but have you ever seen that many musicians together in one place? The geekiness sticks to you for weeks. And then somebody brings up band camp and it’s all downhill from there, but I digress.

Musopen, however, has gone out specifically to make recordings of some of these classics in order to be copyright-free. As in public domain, as in no copyright infringement when you want to use that piece that you should be able to use!

I’m excited. Like super excited. So, while you’re making a video or audio piece for Harlot and fall into the same conundrum or if you were just looking for some very copyright free ambient music, then check out the site.

Oh, and you can also bid to raise funds for the piece that you want the professionals to record. If I really had my way then that’d be the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major (especially the 3rd movement), but considering that it’s one of the top 3 hardest pieces to play and the cost of finding somehow to play that would ginormous, I’ll just support Debussy right now. You can pick your own, but, you know, Debussy . . . ’tis awesome (and cheap).