Baylor University Black Gospel Music Restoration Project


A Project Weblog

March 26th, 2008 at 4:12 pm

Access to the Sound Files

The question we receive the most from people interested in this project is related to information on how they can listen to or obtain copies of these recordings. Unfortunately, the material we are collecting was produced between 1940 and 1970, and all of this material is most likely protected by copyright.

We have made some attempts to identify the copyright holders, but there are several issues that impede this process:

  • Music produced prior to 1970 was copyrighted at the state level, not the national level, and the copyright laws (and expiration of copyright) varied from state to state.
  • Many of these recordings were produced by small, little-known producers. At some point in time, these producers went out of business and disappeared or were bought by larger recording labels.
  • Some recordings were produced live at radio stations, some were produced at local churches – entities that may or may not still exist today.

Because of these copyright issues, we have determined that – in an open environment – we can provide detailed information that describes the recordings and 30 sound bites of the music (using streaming technology). However, the full sound recordings will only be made available to researchers who are physically present at Baylor University.

The Black Gospel Music Restoration Project is purely a non-profit, preservation, and scholarly-oriented project. We want to preserve this music for the long term while adhering to and respecting the copyright of the individuals who produced this music. –brp

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 at 4:12 pm and is filed under copyright, sound files access. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

9 Responses to “Access to the Sound Files”

  1. betty Says:

    can you help me find the recordig by the Brooklyn Allstars in the late 60’s a two album set entiled I stood on the banks of jordan?

  2. mitchell Says:

    What is the URL to listen to these files? Need help streaming? Let me know.

    m!

  3. Watch Stargate Atlantis Says:

    I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.

  4. Karen S. Says:

    Great site! I am loving it!! Will come back again – taking your feeds also, Thanks.

  5. listen to gospel music Says:

    listen to gospel music…

    Thanks for sharing this information. I will share about The Gospel Trust Panel Discussion MP3 | Band of Bloggers with my readers….

  6. Crystal Orr Says:

    I know what you mean and in fact my daughter has been in a gospel choir. However, it isn’t either/or. There are a lot of uplifting and lively hymns too, some of which are written by a friend of mine actually. Besides that, there are other moods which are appropriate because we come to God as we are, not just as we should be, and in particular a contemplative and meditative atmosphere to a song also makes a lot of sense.

  7. D. Emmers Says:

    How does the public get access to the recordings?

  8. denyse_rodgers Says:

    As indicated in our original post, only researchers who are physically present at Baylor University will have access to the complete sound files. Others may access 30-second clips at http://contentdm.baylor.edu.

  9. Patricia McGregor Says:

    I am trying to find a song that a radio station in Chicago, Ill. signed off with every Sunday evening c.1979. Some of the words were ( can’t remember all)
    When you count those who love to steal away

    ______Jesus, fall on their knees and pray

    ……..please count me…

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