Celebration of Sound: Public Domain Day *Virtual* Celebration

On Jan. 20, organizations from across the Open world will honor the treasure trove of works published in 1926 that will enter the public domain this year. The public domain will grow richer with canonical works from authors like Hemingway, Faulkner and Dorothy Parker, silent film classics like Nanook of the North, and beloved children’s stories about Winnie-the Pooh and the Hundred Acre woods, becoming freely available to all.

Due to the recently enacted Music Modernization Act in the U.S., approximately 400,000 sound recordings from the pre-1923 era will join the public domain for the first time. That’s why this year our theme is a Celebration of Sound.

This virtual party features a keynote from Senator Ron Wyden, champion of the Music Modernization Act, and a host of musical acts, dancers, historians, librarians, academics, activists and other leaders from the Open world! This event will explore the rich historical context of recorded sound from its earliest days, including early jazz and blues, classical, and spoken word recordings reflecting important political and social issues of the era.

SPARC, of which OSU is a member, is proud to co-sponsor the event again this year. The event is organized by the Internet Archive, and additional sponsoring organizations include Creative Commons, Library Futures, Authors Alliance, the Bioheritage Diversity Library, Public Knowledge, ARSC, the Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain, and the Music Library Association.

Join the event