How old does a song have to be before legally available in public domain?

It depends on the laws in effect at the time it was published, but currently it's 70 years after the death of the songwriter.

You're probably good to go to do what you want to most songs recorded before the Great Depression.

It's not how old the song is; it depends on whether the copyrights are renewed.

Usually, it's the life of the composer +25 years, unless the song is something like 70 years old. Should the copyrights not be renewed or purchased by another party, the works become part of what is known as the public domain, which means you owe no copyright fees for public use of the works.

For example, all of Stephen Forster's compositions (My Old Kentucky Home, for example) are public domain, so you would owe nothing for public use or performance. To us a song written by, for example, Bruce Springsteen, you would legally need to obtain permission to use it in its entirety, or if you are a "cover artist", the place you are performing must either have a jukebox or pay either ASCAP or BMI fees.

Copyright laws require at least 70 years after the authors death before copyrighted material becomes public domain.

Well over 50 years and it can be renewed. They still pay royalties on Happy Birthday which is why Applebee's or other restaurants can't sing it to you when you have a party there. It was copyrighted in 1935 and it will expire in 2030 in the US.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You

It is NOT 70 years after the death of the author. Copywrites are assets that can be willed to survivors. Copywrite proection expires 95 years after the date of first publication, or 120 years after creation, whichever is shorter.

well you can search a song on youtube, you can nearly find all songs there and most of the artists have a own official youtube channel where they post their songs!

songs, no matter how old, have ownership rights, so they are never public domain.

Eat Funyuns.

its available immeditely. youtube is public, and millions of songs are there