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Geraldton Traditional
Community Singing Collective
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Guidelines
- Have fun singing for an hour weekly. Time and Venue TBA
- Choose ex-copyright songs. Celebrate freedom from royalties.
- Pick a song and learn the songs others pick. Take turns.
- Utilize regional songwriter donations
- Negotiate gentle acoustic instrumental accompaniment. Unplugged.
- Just enjoy participation. Be audience and performer both.
- Enjoy co-learning music with fellow music co-learners.
- Relinquish rights to videography and recording. Share your voice.
- Join voluntary performance at community events.
- Embrace the simplicity of Australian copyright. Do your own research.
- Every meeting is an audition for your manners. Polite inclusive kindness.
- Share online song links to save the planet. Go paper free.
- Abide by Health and Safety and Public Liability rules.
- Contact Hamish mobile: zero 4326 uno 0 double 8 seven
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“Behind every songwriter stands eleven ghosts,
for that is the number by which ex-copyright composers
outnumber the living” Banjo Paterson
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What can we sing without permission or payment?
The immense quality and quantity of music belonging to the overall Australian community is amazing good news. New material will enter the arena from 2026. Choristers involved in community singing report they found the same thrills and emotions as attending a favorite concert. Ex-copyright works have additional benefits.They allow us to distribute video and make changes without the creators permission. for example, try singing these lyrics to the tune ‘Greensleeves’
What cone is this
from the soft serve van?
Does it have a flake?
From the ice-cream man?
Should I ask for chocolate topping too?
Perhaps that will stop it from melting.
Nuts, sprinkles and flavoring?
The soft serve van is my favorite treat
Twin serve or wafer cone?
The decisions are seemingly endless
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Try these lyrics to the tune ‘Scarborough Fair’
Are you going to Champion Bay
Bardi, Yam and Johnnie Cake flour
Remember me to one who lives there
For they once were a true love of mine
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why is it confusing?
Other countries have very different culture and laws around intellectual property. For example, some entrepreneurs write new ‘traditional folk’ songs. The foreign term public domain is virtually meaningless in Australia. I prefer the term ex-copyright. Professional singers avoid tunes that can be freely copied. There are exceptions, for example, Ed Sheeran sings ex-copyright song. Generally speaking, you are more likely to hear the Easter bunny complain about chocolate. There is no complete list of ex-copyright songs. Ask a librarian for help, if needed.
links
Still more potential group titles
- sonGEROos – like Socceroos, but Gero singers
- GEchoes – they drive moths up the wall
- The Dispossessed – working class material
- Igloo Sieve – chill filtered for everybody
- Geraldtonsils – who calls a song a tonsil? Geraldtones?
- Grave robbers – dig those old time show tunes + largo
- DownTRAD – slick and homeless
- GEchoristers – Gekoristaz in hispanic
- Jam-G – camp songs on country (Acacia Acuminata is where the bardi at)
- Vox Frontier – truth yelling
- Australorchs – southern hemisphere pecked orchestrations
- Silvercouch – like the music act, but less intense
- Quire AF – choir as FOLK
- Outrave – musically against homophobic dictatorship
- Bandy Coots – silver haired, bow legged and still scaring away the night
- Beat Roots – campfire drums and purple vegetables never grow old
- Tradius – Sing in traditional rounds
- Pop-Off – Anything except chart throbs
- Batavians – Historical and that
- Bug Core – crayfishy bardcore
- Like a Rhinehart Cowboy – Hi Vis parody
- Advergram – We sing for cash. Costume extra. Trade Winners?
- Abroholos Acapella Group
- Midwestunes
- Jolly Jack Tar Coola
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More links on community singing