Archive:Help Bands Embrace Free Culture

Making the Case
Pull articles from http://questioncopyright.org

Ask them what their influences are; ask them about covers they've done and samples they've heard or used in new tracks.

Then talk about the importance of being able to derive new cultural works like that, and especially of knowing that one has explicit permission to do that without contacting anyone.

It's very important that we stress the avoidance of the non-free clauses like CC-NC and CC-ND. Jamendo, for example, unfortunately, contains a great deal of non-free works.

Many musicians are sensitive about being ripped off by record labels; the history of what happened to the great bluesmen is a fresh memory.

It's important to lead such artists to understand that the CC-NC clause is too blunt an instrument. The resulting work is non-free for everyone: they're stopping anyone from doing anything in any possibly commercial context from redistributing their work, which hurts many culturally positive uses of their work.

Rather, the CC-SA clause is much more suited to allow the work to remain free for cultural use and remixing, while thwarting exploitation by rent-seekers.

Speak to them, ask them about not just copyright, but about what they want to do with the works of others, and what they want their peers and fans to have permission to do with their work. Make it personal, and listen to their answers.

Help them to conclude that explicit free licenses on their works are a good thing, and in their own interest; help them understand what license clauses result in free works and which do not; and most of all, *listen* to them and consider their position.

Make $$$ While Being FC-Friendly!

 * http://flattr.com
 * http://kickstarter.com
 * See also the below category on communities--for example, jamendo has a big donate button on band/album pages

Publish with a Free Culture License and Tap in to a Community

 * http://jamendo.com
 * http://soundcloud.com
 * http://libre.fm

Get Samples

 * CC sample archive: http://www.ccmixter.org/
 * CC sound archive: http://www.freesound.org/
 * Community Audio: http://www.archive.org/details/opensource_audio
 * Free Music Archive: http://freemusicarchive.org/
 * Sound Cloud: http://soundcloud.com

Watch Movies About the Movement

 * Alternative Freedom: http://www.archive.org/details/AlternativeFreedom
 * RIP - A Remix Manifesto: http://ripremix.com
 * Good Copy Bad Copy: http://goodcopybadcopy.net
 * Everything is a Remix: http://www.everythingisaremix.info/?p=20