A Copyright Maze: Swing Era Jazz Recordings

A recent ABA Journal article discusses the formidable copyright hurdles involved in making historic swing era jazz recordings widely available. The article refers to the vast collection of sound engineer William Savory that includes recordings of legendary musicians like Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Count Basie, and Lester Young. The National Jazz Museum in Harlem eventually acquired the collection. The heart of the copyright problem is tracking down all those who might have a copyright interest in the recordings and be entitled to royalties.