Music

There are several kinds of content that are free and legal to use. Some allow unrestricted on use (e.g. Publc Domain, Open Access), and others may have stipulations about free use (some Creative Commons). You can also view the next tab, "Find Images, Music, & Video", to find examples of free and legal media to use.

Public Domain

The term "public domain" describes all of the works that are not protected by copyright. These works are free for anyone to use without permission or fees. The rights that would otherwise be exclusive to copyright holder—to make copies or recordings, to create derivative works, to distribute copies, to perform publicly, to display publicly, or to digitally transmit recordings—are now the rights available to anyone.

Note: Even if a work is in the public domain, you must cite your sources and/or give credit to the author to avoid plagiarism.

Works can be in the public domain for several reasons. Public domain works include:

• Works with expired copyrights. All copyrighted material eventually falls into the public domain after the legal copyright duration has elapsed (see Copyright Durations box on the Copyright page).
• Works that fail to meet the legal requirements of copyright protection because they lack even a small amount of originality. Facts and discoveries, for instance, are not protected by copyright.
• Works that fail to meet the legal requirements of copyright protection because they are not fixed in a tangible medium of expression. For instance, choreographic works that have not been noted or recorded or improvisational speeches or performances.[1]
• Works produced by the U.S. Government. Section 105 of the Copyright Act states that copyright protection “is not available for any work of the United States Government.”

Open Access

Open access (OA) research is information that has been made publicly available without cost to the consumer.  

Many funding agencies now have open access mandates that require the researchers they fund to deposit their peer-reviewed work in a freely accessible repository within a specified time after publication.

For more information about Open Access, see this guide.

Creative Commons

From http://creativecommons.org/about :

"What is Creative Commons?
Creative Commons is a nonprofit organization that enables the sharing and use of creativity and knowledge through free legal tools."

Creative Commons licenses make it easy to find works that can be accessed and shared much more easily than under the standard "all rights reserved." 

An important note is that "Creative Commons licenses are not an alternative to copyright. They work alongside copyright and enable you to modify your copyright terms to best suit your needs."

So how does that apply to you?

"If you’re looking for content that you can freely and legally use, there is a giant pool of CC-licensed creativity available to you. There are hundreds of millions of works — from songs and videos to scientific and academic material — available to the public for free and legal use under the terms of our copyright licenses, with more being contributed every day."

Watch this video on the types of Creative Commons licensing on CreativeCommons.org

[1] Crews, Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators. 19