[Upd-discuss] copyrighting out of copyright properties

[Stark]

Hi everyone.

I hope this is considered an on topic mailing, as I'm seeking help to 
make some music available to the public domain. 

As I have mentioned before, an acquaintance of mine has an impressive 
collection of  pre depression 78's which I believe to be out of 
copyright, and I have asked him to allow me to digitize these old works 
and make them available free on the internet.  While it's not 100%, he 
seems to be leaning favorably to the idea, and so I'm trying to figure 
out some important details.

Initially I plan to make the raw recordings available in all of their 
high data content glory, with the hopes that other volunteers will go to 
the effort of remastering the works (de-hissing, etc), and then making 
these remastered works available.  What I would like to avoid is a 
record label remastering my digital copies, copyrighting the remastered 
works, and selling them commercially -> profiting of my labors without 
giving anything back to the project or the community.

I have the idea the above scenario is possible under current copyright 
law.  Is t his correct?  And if it is, is it a viable solution to assume 
a sort of copyright on my digitized versions of the songs, and make them 
available via a Creative Commons "share music"  licence?

I appreciate your input.

Glen Stark