New public domain songs: We can now use this music for free.

January 2, 2025 Alan Cross 0 Comments 0 min read

Copyright protection isn’t forever. Every January 1, copyrights on old songs, movies, books, cartoon characters, and more officially expire, meaning that they can be used royalty-free by anyone from here on.

Songs now in the public domain:

“Singin’ in the Rain”
“Happy Days are Here Again”
“Tiptoe Through the Tulips”
“Bolero”
“Ain’t Misbehavin'”
“Rhapsody in Blue” (the George Gershwin recording)
“California Here I Come” (the Al Jolson recording)

In addition, a specific version of Popeye is now in the public domain (the pre-Spinach-eating version) along with the beloved French character, Tintin. A number of books and novels are also free to use.

Read about everything here.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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