I am going to share an opinion on melodies. I dont think that anyone , publishers etc. will be able to keep copyright on them in the future. Only so many tunes and mixing of tunes. Most of if not all of my tunes have come in some way from something I have heard, the subconscious will work with any melody copyrighted or not. I can understand lyrics being copyrighted, but, not the melody. Just an opinion.

They beg to disagree. And me too.

There are still original melodies out there to be written.

As music tends to change styles, so too the melody or lack thereof changes as well. this opens the door to countless new possibilities for new melodies.

The creative person will always be able to write an original melody. It's said that a genius never reveals where he stole his ideas from. And as long as no one else can figure it out, he remains a genius rather than a plagiarizer.

It's a tricky game there, cliftond. I disagree to a degree, because I do think there are some many unique melodies yet to be written. I also think it is okay to take inspiration from something else and apply it in a new way. However, there is a difference between putting your own twist on something and outright stealing a riff. I've heard instances of both.

It's a weird playing field, the music industries. I don't have the answers, unfortunately. I'd love to hear some other people's input

That's why some people think the copyright length has become too long and some are wanting it changed. I can understand your thinking Clifton. This is one of the reasons why publishers stopped taking unsolicited material in order not to be accused of infringement. Now with the internet overflowing with songs it seems even more likely that similar melodies are going to occur naturally or on purpose. But unless a song is a hit - possible but highly unlikely - copyright cases are too expensive for most people to pursue.

I don't believe most songwriters set out to steal. Most times it's just laziness and going with the first thing that pops in their heads which is more often than not another song they've heard. And in coming up with melodies it's not just the notes, there's also the rhythm patterns that can be changed up. It takes a focused effort to write original melodies because if you stray too far off the familiar people won't like it. So the challenge is keeping it somewhat familiar while making it different enough. My two cents.

Good points from all of the above, the old country boys and girls back in the 50's would use melodies over and over HA, but giving them a twist can work.

Not trying to highjack the thread but I have a related thought.

Today I was listening online to a 1972 Ronnie Hawkins song named " Didlley Diddley Daddy" which was an album re-recording of the same song recorded as a single with a different backing band in 1965.

What jumped out at me is a guitar riff played throughout the 1972 song. It is slightly different than the riff recorded in 1965. I "created" the same (1972) riff and have recorded it on several different recorders through the years. It's the same riff, at the same tempo, with the same effects applied to create a distinct sound.

I'm not a Ronnie Hawkins fan and never listened to his music or previously heard this song before but it's obvious to me I had to have heard it before and liked it well enough to file away for future reference. Just guessing but my elder brother enjoyed that style of blues music and I most likely heard it when he was listening to his records or the radio stations he normally listened to.

I would have continued to think that was my riff if I hadn't run across Ronnie Hawkin's Rock & Roll Resurrection album today.

That sounds like the model for the early rolling stones.

Very true. The lead guitar riff from "19th Nervous Breakdown" has the same feel and vibe to it. I'd say the riffs are close relatives.

The riff in Ronnie Hawkin's 1972 re-recording is very close to the 1965 recording but different. The 1972 guitar riff performance was by "A" list Nashville session musician Grady Martin. The album, Rock & Roll Resurrection, also had Boots Randolph playing saxophone and Charlie McCoy playing harmonica. There is some great straight up rock and roll playing on the album.

... to add my two penneth.
there's nothing worse than working for days on a really intersting and original song you've written and then lying in bed and remembering where you heard it before ...

Cheers.
Mike.

Even worse is when you play that song to some friends and they say "that sounds exactly like (input name of song)!

{edit} been there - done that

HAHA, oh so true

OMG. I once completely recomposed David Bowie's "Savior Machine", and it was a month before -playing it for a friend - he said "nice cover! Where did you get the alternative lyrics?"

HAHA, yeah that would be tough to hear.

I remember I watched a movie a few months ago. I can't remember the name though. But the main character was stuck and couldn't find a new melody for his song, so there was this other guy that told him to go out for a walk early in the morning and listen carefully to the sounds and inspiration will come. Which sounded very cool and at the end, he did a great song, but is this the case in real life as well?