Copyright-free tango music

We have a lot of music that is free of copyright. You can use it and save some or all of your royalties to the copyright society in your country by making an agreement with us.

If you pay more than 200 euros per year in royalties for authors, our offer is of interest to you. In any case, you should get a free consultation. Because we say a lot on this page, but you can get many more individual tips in a consultation. The project with copyright-free classical tangos, valses, milongas and other rhythms currently comprises around 480 recordings. That means more than 25 hours of music in total.

We give you the rights to use the music for
- copyright-free events and dance classes
- copyright-free videos with online dance classes (e.g. on YouTube or Vimeo)
- copyright-free videos for the promotion of dance courses or events
- copyright-free sound reinforcement of rooms (cafés, bars, sales rooms)
- copyright-free film, TV or advertising productions
- copyright-free telephone waiting loops

Every single recording has been checked by the German copyright society GEMA and confirmed as “free of copyrights”. This means that you can contact us at any time if you have any doubts. We have been researching tango for around 30 years and have more than 12 years of practical experience with the project presented here.
Take some time to read the information on this page carefully and then get a free consultation. In such a consultation, we can find out together whether and how you can get the most out of our offer. Please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . It is best if you specify a time when you can be reached by phone for a callback. Of course, you can also conclude the agreement without a consultation. You will receive information about the data required for this by e-mail.

Below you will find information on:

 

Basics of copyright and the use of music

Anyone who uses music in connection with a commercial activity is responsible for obtaining the rights required for this use. The most important rights of a musical work are

  • the rights of the authors – these are the people who composed, arranged or wrote the lyrics to the music
  • the rights of the owners of the master tape - these are the people who produced the recording or an arrangement of it

For the use of musical works, e.g. in dance classes or at events, it is simple - you only need the permission of the national copyright society, nothing else. If you demonstrably use copyright-free music, you do not need to make any payments to the copyright society.
As soon as music is combined with an image, a new work is legally created. This applies to every video that is produced in connection with your commercial activity. It doesn't matter whether you film your milonga, offer a few dance steps online for free streaming, produce paid dance videos or put an image film on your website. You are responsible for taking care of the following rights in all cases:

  • the rights of the authors - these are usually represented by a music publisher
  • the rights to the master tape - you usually obtain these from the company that published the work
  • the rights to publish the work - these are granted by the copyright society

Let's finish with this simplified description at this point. There are other rights not mentioned here that may play a role in the use of the music. The user agreement for copyright-free music from Danza y Movimiento relieves you of your legal worries in any case.

Agreement 1: Copyright-free music for courses and events

Our database of certified copyright-free works currently comprises around 480 recordings and is constantly growing. These more than 25 hours of music can be used to create complete dance evenings, practical courses and lessons. Or at least parts of them. The recordings are by almost all well-known performers and orchestras from the 1920s to the 1950s and have been sound-restored using various methods.
By concluding a license agreement, you acquire the right to use the music for the agreed purpose during the agreed period. The term “use” refers to the context in which you wish to use the music - e.g. at events, in lessons, in a telephone waiting loop or as background music in a café or store.
All recordings are carefully checked and certified. Should questions or problems arise in connection with use, support is included in the service package. For example, there are sometimes queries from the employees of the copyright societies responsible for events who request documents. It is best to forward such a request to Danza y Movimiento for clarification.

Package 1 (events) in keywords

  • Scope: currently around 480 recordings
  • Period of use: 5 years from date of contract
  • Price MP3-Format 980.- Euro
  • Price WAV-Format 1180.- Euro

An agreement to pay the total amount in rates is possible on request. You receive support, information about updates and can integrate additional titles into the overall package at a moderate price.
It's worth it if you are currently paying only 16 euros per month to your national society! Arrange a free consultation now writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

 

Agreement 2: Copyright-free music for audiovisual productions

This category includes everything where music is combined with an image. This starts with providing a video of a dance event combined with a reference to your offers. Or you would like to put the individual dance steps online for the participants of a course to practice.
For this package, 22 high-quality recordings have been selected, which you can use for non-monetized videos as much as you like for the agreed period. The right of use is granted for the countries of the European Union and can also be extended on request.

Package 2 (videos) in keywords

  • Scope: 22 high-quality tango recordings in WAV format
  • Period of use: 3 years from date of contract
  • Territory: European Union
  • Price 1500.- Euro (for contractual partners of package 1 only 800.- Euro!))

An additional agreement is required for the use of the music in image films or for offers with monetization. In the case of monetized offers such as online dance courses, this usually consists of a percentage revenue share. This way, you do not incur any financial risk.
Arrange a free consultation now writing to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

 

Background information on the “Tango copyright-free” project

Since 2012, Danza y Movimiento has been offering a copyright-free alternative for tango lessons, tango events and everything to do with tango music. The recordings come from almost all well-known performers and orchestras from the 1920s to the 1950s and have been sound-restored using various methods.
The repertoire comprises around 215 different works. Many works were recorded by different orchestras. Some of the recordings differ in their sound quality or sound processing.

You will find about
- 56 recordings by di Sarli, 50 by d'Arienzo, 48 by Troilo, 45 by de Caro, 44 by Firpo, 28 by Donato, 19 by Pugliese, 19 by Gardel, 14 by Biagi, 13 by Lomuto, 11 by Tipica Victor, 11 by Arolas, 10 by Maffia.., 9 by Fresedo, 8 by Tanturi, 8 by Canaro, 8 by Cambareri, 7 by Demaria, 6 by Sassone, 4 by Gobbi, 4 by de Angelis and the rest by various other performers
- about 110 recordings with vocals, about 370 instrumental
- about 400 tangos, 23 milongas, 23 valses and everything else is zamba, tonada, ranchera, pasodoble, foxtrot, cancion and other rhythms.

 

How do I find out for myself whether a recording is copyright-free?

The research for this project took a lot of time. Copyright law is complicated and difficult for laypeople to understand. This also becomes clear when following controversial discussions in the internet forums of the tango scene, where professional expertise is extremely rare. In order to find out whether a recording is copyright-free, the following aspects must be taken into account:


1. the year of the author's death
2. information on the country of registration of the title in its original version
3. information as to whether the original title was possibly registered jointly by several authors. This can mean, for example, that an instrumental piece for which the composer died more than 70 years ago is NOT copyright-free because an author was registered together with the composer in the original registration of the work.
4. information about possible contributors to the present recording (e.g. an authorized arrangement of an original copyright-free title is NOT copyright-free)


To give a concrete example: A well-known title is “El choclo”, composed around 1900 by Angel Villoldo, who died in 1919. Under German law, this work has been copyright-free since 1990. There are currently 17 versions of this title in the “Danza y Movimiento” music shop. However, only seven (!) of these are copyright-free. All the others are not. El Choclo” is currently registered more than 100 times in the GEMA database. In other words: The German GEMA alone has more than 100 registrations for “El Choclo”, for which copyrights must still be paid to the parties involved! (If you search for recordings of “El Choclo” in our music archive, you will even find more than 180 recordings ...)


Every recording in this project with copyright-free music has been checked in cooperation with the German GEMA and confirmed as copyright-free for use. We will be happy to provide you with information about the legal situation for use in your country on request. Copyright is national law and therefore varies from country to country.

 

Status: September 2024