What is copyright?

What is the copyright law regarding playing music and uploading it on YouTube or putting it on a cd?

• If copyright law is protecting a song, is singing it and putting it on youtube a violation of copyright?  You can make money through youtube ads I believe. So it will be for commercial use. Are there any timeframe for classical music being protected by copyright?  I have seen some awesome musician playing a piece of music that isn't composed by them. Would that be a violation of copyright?

• Answer:

  The problem is distribution. If others have access to the music or song because of your actions, that is copyright infringement. YouTube is clearly an instance of distribution. Be aware, though, that copyright only lasts 70 years following the death of the author. So the estate of the composer of a piece of classical music which has been out for 100 years or so is not able to sue you. Commercial use doesn't have any impact on whether it is copyright infringement. Strange that everyone things so. What it does do is establish that the author lost money, so the judge has no problem establishing how much the damages are. But even free items reduce the sale of the copyright holder's works, so there are damages involved and grounds to sue.