The latest issue of Wired magazine arrived the other day with a CD inside. The entire contents of this CD, which features music from acts such as the Beastie Boys, David Byrne (of Talking Heads) and Chuck D (of Public Enemy), are under a special license called "Creative Commons." The typical phrase "all rights reserved" does not apply to these tracks. They have chosen to make their music legally available for reproduction.
The license limits people from selling the tracks, but you can give them away all you want. You can also sample them and use them in your own work. There are actually two different licenses. One allows you to do whatever you want with the tracks, but not use them for commercial purposes. The second license allows you to do whatever you want with the tracks and use material you've "ripped off" for commercial purposes provided the new work is "highly transformative." You can read more details about the licenses at creativecommons.org/wired.
I just want to say that I think this is very cool. If some people want to hoard their "intellectual property" that's fine, but there ought to be a way for others to share and collaborate. An interview with the Beastie Boys in the same issue hints at the thoroughly complicated legal process they have to go through when using samples from other people's work. It shouldn't be that way. In the old days people considered that sort of thing a compliment. People still would if they weren't so stinkin' greedy.
I hope to put something together this week using a couple of the tracks. Why? Just because I can! This is history in the making. Also, I'm going to upload the Beastie's track for your listening/burning pleasure...it's absolutely legal and absolutely free...in fact, don't send me 99 cents, that would be against the rules!
Yeah, VERY cool indeed! Yeah, I always considered it a compliment as well... funny thing - alot of artists who "make it" started out building a fan base by giving their music away or making mix tapes, etc... when the corporate money machine gets involved, everything changes, huh!?
Posted by: Patrick | October 29, 2004 at 10:45 AM