crystal wrote:or does someone own their music?
Copyright terms varies between countries, in the UK I believe the length is 70 years from initial publication. However this term is being continually extended thanks to heavy lobbying from the entertainment industry.
There are many aspects of ownership in a sound recording - the author/song writer, the performers, the publisher etc. When the author dies, his copyright transfers to his estate (e.g. I assume you've heard of the Dilla and Hendrix estates). Regardless, the publisher (typically the record label or one of their subsidiaries) will continue to claim ownership of publishing rights, however in the US at least, the year of author death has some bearing, although not any time soon. Check this:
http://www.pdinfo.com/Copyright-Law/Pub ... rdings.phpSo if you want to avoid sampling copyrighted works, seek out public domain music (best bet would be to find work where the author has specifically declared he is giving it to the public) or music released under compatible creative commons licenses or similar which allow you to modify and republish the work (ideally where commercial use is specifically given).
Also be aware that some music may have eventually fallen into the public domain in one country, but in the US it will may still be copyrighted to an interested party.
Have fun and google around for more info