Where to buy (or download from reputable source) genuine royalty-free classical midi?

[andrewlsummer]

Hey guys, I was hoping you guys could share some of your secrets

I have been searching for genuine "royalty-free" Midi files of classical music pieces. There seem to be hundreds of supposedly 'royalty-free' sites but all the ones I have found prohibit the use of their midi files for any commercial purpose. There are also sites that have supposed 'public domain' and royalty free classical midi tracks from Disklavier but I asked Yamaha about this and they state plainly that: "no, the midi files on Yamaha products are all Copyrighted with copyrights belonging to the performer and/or Yamaha."
I thoroughly agree with them and respect their performers and Copyright of their original arrangements of classical music (even though most of the original pieces are in the public domain, Yamaha's arrangements of them certainly aren't).

But that still leaves me with a problem: where are the genuine commercial entities that sell Midi files of classical music? Ones that don't have fine print that say things like they'll sue your ass off if you even think of making 1 cent out of the midi file that you bought a license of! I just want to quote a few famous phrases from famous tunes in my compositions but am too lazy/busy with work to keep making takes of such until I am happy with it - far easier to edit imported midi!
Take care.

[herodotus]

I have found a number of midi files on IMSLP that are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license, which means that as long as you mention the creator, you are free to use it however you wish. Unfortunately, IMSLP doesn't allow you to 'search by license' or 'search by file type, so you just have to keep plugging away until you find something.

Alternatively, SmartScore allows you to scan sheet music or use pdfs to create midi files from scratch. As long as the composition is PD you are good to go.

[Orbit-50]

Hey guys, I was hoping you guys could share some of your secrets

I will not share my secrets with you. You'd be repulsed by them anyway. I've been wanting some classical MIDI files also. I've searched hi and lo and not many sights that I actually trust. I find this whole thing completely bizarre you would think that it would be easy. I'm gonna leach off your thread man. Sorry.

.-.

[Zombie Queen]

http://www.mutopiaproject.org

[Orbit-50]

http://www.mutopiaproject.org

Zombie Queen!!! Words can not describe what you did there. I kiss your face in theory!!!


.-.

[Ranjarresh]

http://www.kunstderfuge.com ?

[Orbit-50]

http://www.kunstderfuge.com ?

Ranjarresh!!! Words can not describe what you... You get the idea. Thank you guys so much! These are awesome sites!


.-.

[Stanoli]

http://www.classicalarchives.com/midi.html?navID=3

You probably have to check which composers are royalty-free.
Here you can download up to 5 free Midifiles per day.
If you want more you can join as a member.

[Musical Gym]

>>far easier to edit imported midi!

You might be able to use any midi file for research purposes to enhance your understanding of the construction of the piece.
Once you understand it, you could recreate something similar.
If you don't release the original arrangement (but a modified version according to your tastes), you may be ok.
But, of course, if it's copy-righted and it sounds too much the same, that would probably be an infringement.

[jancivil]

http://www.kunstderfuge.com

^this

with a free account they'll cut you off after 3 in a day.

[andrewlsummer]

http://www.kunstderfuge.com ?

Ranjarresh!!! Words can not describe what you... You get the idea. Thank you guys so much! These are awesome sites!
.-.

Just to let you know that that site is a trap. I wrote an email to Yamaha about that site who noted that either Yamaha or the Performer owns the copyright to Disklavier files.

I had also wrote a polite email to that site and got this bold reply:
"NO COMMERCIAL USE IS ALLOWED, PERIOD. FOR-PROFIT ACTIVITY WILL ENGENDER PROMPT LEGAL REMEDIES. WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY SUED PERSONS WHO IGNORED THAT WARNING - AND WON AN AWARD OF US$3000.00 IN EACH INSTANCE."

So I smell a scam, although the site does say: All MID (MIDI) & FIL (e-SEQ) files, are the copyright(s) of the author/sequencer/performer and/or Robert C. Kuhmann. Re-mastering, play-back, or re-distribution "for profit" - via any medium, is strictly forbidden.

So I don't know how something can be both Public domain and Copyright? Will try figure that out later...

Anyway this guy has uploaded 27 libraries and called them "Public Domain" but a private email shows the real setup. Maybe someone should report to Yamaha so they can do a DMCA takedown to the ISP for their files? It's not something I know a lot about but this site is definitely scratched of the list for a source of Midi files! Haha...

[Orbit-50]

Good to know man! Damn, there goes my EDM Festival hits that I made using these. Back to the drawing board. Sheesh.

.-.

[V0RT3X]

http://www.royaltyfreemusic.com/public- ... composers/

[banananut]

I was just searching for something similar and found this one: http://www.soundswell.co.uk/pages/swmids.htm

[jancivil]

http://www.kunstderfuge.com ?

Ranjarresh!!! Words can not describe what you... You get the idea. Thank you guys so much! These are awesome sites!
.-.

Just to let you know that that site is a trap. I wrote an email to Yamaha about that site who noted that either Yamaha or the Performer owns the copyright to Disklavier files.

I had also wrote a polite email to that site and got this bold reply:
"NO COMMERCIAL USE IS ALLOWED, PERIOD. FOR-PROFIT ACTIVITY WILL ENGENDER PROMPT LEGAL REMEDIES. WE'VE SUCCESSFULLY SUED PERSONS WHO IGNORED THAT WARNING - AND WON AN AWARD OF US$3000.00 IN EACH INSTANCE."

So I smell a scam, although the site does say: All MID (MIDI) & FIL (e-SEQ) files, are the copyright(s) of the author/sequencer/performer and/or Robert C. Kuhmann. Re-mastering, play-back, or re-distribution "for profit" - via any medium, is strictly forbidden.

So I don't know how something can be both Public domain and Copyright?

I've made 4 productions using MIDI from the site. Now, I use them as a scratch track and create my own parts in every case but...

Here's how they can copyright some of it (and it's the "Live" MIDI afaik): the MIDI is a performance of something in Public Domain. If it's something someone did in a notation program and is hard-quantized, it's either PD or it isn't. I've used both the 'square' and the live MIDIs (It's all Erik Satie which is all PD.). Now, there are entities which edit a score and republish it and act like they own it. Nope.

Anyway this guy has uploaded 27 libraries and called them "Public Domain" but a private email shows the real setup.

I call bullshit for going to this extreme not having facts. If someone there IS litigious, I would lay off the libel if I were you. Your story makes no sense: you believe Yamaha CAN HAZ teh copyrighted MIDIs but Kunst cannot, somehow.

"I just want to quote a few famous phrases from famous tunes in my compositions but am too lazy/busy with work to keep making takes of such until I am happy with it - far easier to edit imported midi!" Quoting is not a problem. It's the fact that someone sweated and bled to get a live MIDI together, an interpretation which is the same as one's recording of the piece, essentially.