# Vintage radio recordings -- free! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 14, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618 "2006-08-14T02:13:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/1 "2006-08-14T02:13:14Z")
When I was a puppy kid, I discovered the incredible world of the Shadow, Lights Out!, Dimension X, the adventures of Sam Spade… and far more. Vintage radio broadcasts, rerecorded and sold on cassette, really meant something to me. And now, via the Internet, I can get 'em streamed for free. Truly, the millenium has arrived. [Right here.](http://www.otr.net/) ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/2 "2006-08-14T02:24:59Z")
> [@Master Wang-Ka](#): > > When I was a puppy kid, I discovered the incredible world of the Shadow, Lights Out!, Dimension X, the adventures of Sam Spade… and far more. Vintage radio broadcasts, rerecorded and sold on cassette, really meant something to me. > > And now, via the Internet, I can get 'em streamed for free. > > Truly, the millenium has arrived. > > [Right here.](http://www.otr.net/) Very cool! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/3 "2006-08-14T02:37:49Z")
from their website: > [@](#): > > Copyright Information > This site and its contents are copyright ©2005, The OTR.Network, LLC. We believe that the copyrights of the Old Time Radio shows we host on this site have expired. If we accidentally posted a show whose copyright has not expired, please let us know and we’ll correct our error. I"d love it if one of our smarter Dopers could comment on this. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/4 "2006-08-14T02:38:58Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > from their website: > > I"d love it if one of our smarter Dopers could comment on this. Thanks. Actually, I ain’t too dumb. Just getting sleepy and ready to nod off. Lazy, perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/5 "2006-08-14T02:45:03Z")
🆒🆒🆒 > [@Orson Welles](#): > > We know now that in the early years of the twentieth century this world was being watched closely by intelligences greater than man’s, and yet as mortal as his own. We know now that as human beings busied themselves about their various concerns they were scrutinized and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a microscope might scrutinize the transient creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water. > > With infinite complacence people went to and fro over the earth about their little affairs, serene in the assurance of their dominion over this small, spinning fragment of solar driftwood which, by chance or design, man has inherited out of the dark mystery of Time and Space. > > Yet across an immense ethereal gulf, minds that are to our minds as ours are to the beasts in the jungle, intellects vast, cool and unsympathetic, regarded this earth with envious eyes and slowly and surely drew their plans against us. > > In the thirty-ninth year of the twentieth century came the great disillusionment. It was near the end of October. Business was better. The war scare was over. More men were back at work. Sales were picking up. On this particular evening, October 30th, the Crosley service estimated that thirty-two million people were listening in on radios… “The War of the Worlds”, by H. G. Wells performed by Orson Welles & the Mercury Theatre on the Air is here! Look in the Mercury Theater link. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/6 "2006-08-14T02:49:03Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > I"d love it if one of our smarter Dopers could comment on this. Thanks. Well, they can’t claim copyright if the copyrights have expired. They can copyright the web pages, and perhaps a compilation copyright (copyrighting the order and design of what they have), but they do not own copyright to the recordings. If they’re public domain, they’re public domain for everyone, and transferring them to streaming video does not give them the right to copyright the materal. As for the original copyrights – it’s probably a mess. A lot are probably in the public domain, since no one thought it was worth it to renew the original copyrights when they expired. However, some probably were, so it’s hard to tell which was renewed and what wasn’t. If someone does have a legitimate copyright, then the website can be sued for damages (the fact they are streaming these for free is not a consideration). There is legislation in the works for ophan copyrights, so once that passes, some of the liability will be lessened. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/7 "2006-08-14T02:51:03Z")
Thanks, **Chuck**. That’s what I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/8 "2006-08-14T03:07:37Z")
This stuff is amazing. Groucho Marx’ _You Bet Your Life_ was where I went first. I had high expectations, but there was exceeded. The quick double-entenderes never stopped. I was a bit surprised that some of his stuff made it by the censors. There was some interesting reminders of how the world has changed. I’ve got Jack Benny on now. Not bad, although I don’t think his stuff ages quite as well. (To be fair, Jack’s stuff is a decade older.) I’m listening to his December 7, 1941 show now. One Pearl Harbor announcement so far. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/9 "2006-08-14T03:25:38Z")
Just listened (tried to, I should say) to a 1938 ep of _Information Please._ Unless I’m wrong, being an educated person in that day and age required one helluva lot more rote memorization than anything we’re used to now. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/10 "2006-08-14T03:41:12Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Just listened (tried to, I should say) to a 1938 ep of _Information Please._ Unless I’m wrong, being an educated person in that day and age required one helluva lot more rote memorization than anything we’re used to now. Since a person in that age couldn’t access this board, they had oodles more time to read/learn stuff. That’s the difference. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/11 "2006-08-14T03:44:10Z")
OK. I can’t imagine anyone learning anything much from listening to _IP_ itself, unless they had a phonographic memory. ---
**Author:** ![Random](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/57b2e6/32.png) [@Random](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Random)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/12 "2006-08-14T03:49:38Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > Just listened (tried to, I should say) to a 1938 ep of _Information Please._ Unless I’m wrong, being an educated person in that day and age required one helluva lot more rote memorization than anything we’re used to now. Well, there’s one bit of information that hadn’t spread by December 7, 1941. No one knew how to pronounce Oahu. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/13 "2006-08-14T05:29:47Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Thanks, **Chuck**. That’s what I was looking for. [Not so fast](http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ56.html): > [@US Copyright Office Circular #56](#): > > Sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, were generally protected by common law or in some cases by statutes enacted in certain states but were not protected by federal copyright law. In 1971 Congress amended the copyright code to provide copyright protection for sound recordings fixed and first published with the statutory copyright notice on or after February 15, 1972. The 1976 Copyright Act, effective January 1, 1978, provides federal copyright protection for unpublished and published sound recordings fixed on or after February 15, 1972. Any rights or remedies under state law for sound recordings fixed before February 15, 1972, are not annulled or limited by the 1976 Copyright Act until February 15, 2047. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/14 "2006-08-14T12:59:46Z")
That’s doesn’t make the recordings public domain: the scripts were usually copyrighted, so the use of any copyrighted scripts would be a violation. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/15 "2006-08-14T13:38:07Z")
While we’re on the rights topic, is there some rights-related reason (ASCAP/BMI, perhaps) that the OTR hobby generally doesn’t touch music programs? Or is it just that the typical OTR fan isn’t into the music of that era? ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/16 "2006-08-14T14:10:23Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > That’s doesn’t make the recordings public domain: the scripts were usually copyrighted, so the use of any copyrighted scripts would be a violation. Actually, my understanding is that nobody bothered to register the copyrights on either the recordings or the scripts more often than not. The shows were generally regarded as a very ephemeral product–certainly not art!–and registering the copyright was just added expense and bother for something that no one believed would have any value a few years or a few months down the road. The copyright situation on many if not most Old Time Radio shows is very ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![LonesomePolecat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a88e57/32.png) [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/17 "2006-08-14T14:14:57Z")
> [@Beware of Doug](#): > > While we’re on the rights topic, is there some rights-related reason (ASCAP/BMI, perhaps) that the OTR hobby generally doesn’t touch music programs? Or is it just that the typical OTR fan isn’t into the music of that era? More the latter than the former. The sound quality of music shows is usually poor, and sound quality matters a lot more in music than spoken word programs. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/18 "2006-08-14T14:51:02Z")
The copyright status of old time radio programs is indeed a murky issue. Some things to keep in mind: • **Broadcast does not constitute publication.** Thus, a radio program is unpublished until the owner of the copyright authorizes its publication in a fixed form (e.g., record, tape). Bootlegs do not constitute publication, either. • **Underlying copyrights.** Even if the radio program is in the public domain now, it may be adapted from a story, play, or other work that is still under copyright; or it may contain music that is still under copyright. From the [U.S. Copyright Code](http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap3.html): > [@](#): > > **§ 303. Duration of copyright: Works created but not published or copyrighted before January 1, 1978** > > (a) Copyright in a work created before January 1, 1978, but not theretofore in the public domain or copyrighted, subsists from January 1, 1978, and endures for the term provided by section 302. In no case, however, shall the term of copyright in such a work expire before December 31, 2002; and, if the work is published on or before December 31, 2002, the term of copyright shall not expire before December 31, 2047. **Section 302** : > [@](#): > > Anonymous Works, Pseudonymous Works, and Works Made for Hire. — In the case of an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 95 years from the year of its first publication, or a term of 120 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/19 "2006-08-14T14:51:51Z")
Cool–Burns & Allen, and Jack Benny! . . . If only it had Jimmy Durante and _Mary Noble, Backstage Wife_ . . . ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vintage-radio-recordings-free/368618/20 "2006-08-14T15:14:45Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > More the latter than the former. The sound quality of music shows is usually poor, and sound quality matters a lot more in music than spoken word programs. Also, while the recordings might not have been subject to copyright, any published music would be, and assuming all registration and renewal processes had been followed, can not be guaranteed to be in the public domain unless published before 1923, the very earliest days of radio technology. By the way, [here’s another site](http://www.radiolovers.com/).