How come you can download centuries-old books for free (public domain) but you still have to pay for classical music?
by 
Anti-Semantic - Quaerens Intellectum
ANSWERS: 2
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Becasue whomever recorded the song has a copyright in their work.
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The copyright on the book or on the (written form) of the music only runs for a limited number of years (varies by country, usually less than 100 years). After that, they pass into the public domain and you can acquire them without worrying about copyright. An artist who performs music (classical or otherwise) gains a separate copyright in their recording. it runs from teh time the recording is made. It is this copyright that you potentially violate if you don't buy a copy.
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