Music Discovery
Public domain music: Radio, Playlist and Media Guide
A practical Zakonnik guide to public domain music, covering verification, decision points, safer choices, and useful next steps.
Zakonnik editorial overview
This Zakonnik edition reviews public domain music through practical verification, decision points, and clear next steps for business users.
For radio teams, playlist editors, DJs, journalists, and music supervisors, Public domain music is best handled as a verification and programming task. Before a track enters rotation, coverage, a playlist, or a pitch, the exact recording and its operational metadata must be clear.
Verify the release package
Confirm the artist, title, version, featured performers, release date, label or publisher, writers, producers, identifiers, artwork, duration, territory, and contact source. Distinguish clean, explicit, radio edit, instrumental, live, remix, and remastered files.
Assess programming fit
Evaluate audience, format, language, genre, tempo, mood, lyrical subject, intro length, edit points, and surrounding schedule. Programming fit is contextual; a strong recording can still be wrong for a particular slot, playlist promise, publication, or audience.
Review rights and delivery
Use files and links supplied by the artist, label, distributor, publisher, or authorized promoter. Check download permission, broadcast or synchronization requirements, cue-sheet information, embargoes, territory restrictions, and contact details before use.