Question: One of my favorite artists passes away and I want to upload her song in a tribute video. What should I consider first?
- Clear any pending claims you have in your account before adding new content.
- Use the song freely because it has automatically entered the public domain.
- Estimate the number of other videos that may also use this song in their tribute videos.
- Request permission to use it since the song is likely still covered by copyright protection.
Explanation
Copyright can continue to protect a song after the artist’s death. A tribute purpose does not automatically create permission to use copyrighted music. The rights may be controlled by the artist’s estate, publisher, record label, or another rights holder. Permission should be secured before uploading the song to avoid a Content ID claim or copyright removal request.
Why the other options are incorrect
Pending claims are unrelated to whether permission is needed for a copyrighted song.
Public domain is incorrect because copyrighted music does not automatically enter the public domain when an artist dies.
Other tribute videos do not determine whether the use is authorized.
Source for verification
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797466
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797449
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