Hi MSG Folks,

Is it okay to have a music sheet on the piano when the model is playing? I removed all personal notes on the pages and they are in the background thus not the main theme of the photo.

Thanks.

Tom

I thought the music was from the public domain thus generic at best.

Thanks


T

I'd have it blurred out even if it is public domain.  Most reviewers won't know the difference.  Either that or make a note it's public domain in the description. 

I did a shot with sheet music from Beethoven, rejected, SS just dont accept ANY sheet music

and as always, depends on the reviewer. I did a shot like this with jingle bells and it was rejected for copyright. Pretty sure that one is in public domain

You are correct and read what Sue wrote.

The song may be public domain, but the printed copy and possibly the arrangement or both, can be protected. So yes you can preform Jingle Bells (1859) without paying anything, but in a photo the sheet music would need to be from 1922 [US Copyright laws] or before in the US and for some odd reason, 1884 or before for iStock. [The iStockphoto Administration Team]

Which of course could vary according to the reviewer and everyone has pointed that out.

Go to a resale shop and find some old sheet music. Classical is pretty attractive. Pop will do. It might cost you 50 cents. Make sure it's 1922 or before and now you have a musical prop, background or whatever, forever. Just scan the copyright portion and have it ready to attach to the uploads as part of the release.

I'm actually working on my own Public Domain property release for music, because to upload audio to IS, for example, they want proof that the song is public domain, and their example is, a link on the web. (which is fairly humorous when you think about it?) Wikipedia.

But before I go off track. You should be able to write a note to the reviewer on SS that it's public domain. Other places you may need that scan. And if you use the same prop music over and over (probably with the name blanked out to make it generic) then why not make a simple property release explaining what it is, and the time date it was printed? Might make life easier?

Hope there's something in there that helps. I have a prop box in the closet for different things that I could use in a variety of situations. A piece of sheet music from 1922 or before, wouldn't be that hard to find?

make your own with random notes. 99% of people buying the photos wouldn't even notice. Just make sure you put a note to the inspector that you composed it.

I agree, you are always safest if all elements in an image are your own creation.