Quotations From Pete Seeger: On The Commodification Of Folk Songs

In 2009, Pete Seeger wrote the following:

"...Since about 1940 it had been standard practice in the music industry for performers when recording an old song in the public domain, to copyright the song, because they had `adapated and arranged it.' Now they receive royalty payments as songwriters as well as performers..."

from--Pete Seeger: In His Own Words, selected and edited by Rob Rosenthal and Sam Rosenthal)