MAGNATUNE FOUNDER JOHN BUCKMAN JOINS CREATIVE COMMONS BOARD

Eric Steuer, November 15th, 2006

MAGNATUNE FOUNDER JOHN BUCKMAN JOINS CREATIVE COMMONS BOARD

San Francisco, CA, USA — November 16, 2006

Creative Commons today announced that Magnatune Records founder John Buckman has joined the organization’s board of directors.

Buckman’s appointment is a reflection of Creative Commons’ growing interest in commercial applications of CC’s licenses and principles. Buckman’s business — Magnatune Records — is an Internet-based record label that uses Creative Commons licensing to gain wider audiences for its music. Magnatune currently represents over 220 recording artists and released its 500th album in October 2006.

“I’m thrilled that Creative Commons has asked me to contribute at this level,” says Buckman. “Through Magnatune I’ve been trying to show how the commons can help businesses succeed in a commercial sense. I have a lot to say about how CC principles can be applied successfully to the for-profit world.”

“The next challenge for CC is to figure out how the sharing economy can complement a traditional commercial economy,” says Lawrence Lessig, Creative Commons’ CEO. “John’s expertise in this area will be hugely beneficial.”

Buckman also recently founded Bookmooch.com, an online community for exchanging used books. The site allows people to exchange their used books via post, and Buckman is currently working on ways to reward authors when their book is traded. If successful, Bookmooch will have the world’s first royalty system for used books.

Discussion of Buckman’s appointment to the Creative Commons board came on the heels of a recent visit to Tokyo for the New Context conference, where Buckman and Lessig met to discuss in depth how Creative Commons licensing models could be applied to commercial ventures.

About John Buckman and Magnatune

John Buckman is founder and owner of Magnatune.com, a online record label he launched May of 2003 with the motto “We are not evil.” Since that time, he has signed over 220 artists and sells their music directly from the Magnatune site through online downloads and print-on-demand CDs, as well as an innovative licensing tool that allows filmmakers and other creative professionals to license music for use in commercial projects directly from the Magnatune site. Known for his progressive take on label operations, Buckman emphasizes an anti-DRM stance and a musician-friendly approach that includes forming non-exclusive agreements with recording artists, sharing profits equally with them, and allowing them to retain full rights to their own music. Buckman is also a well-known figure in the open-source community and successfully applies both open source and Creative Commons-based principles to ensure the entire Magnatune catalog is heard by the widest possible audience. John divides his time between London and Berkeley, CA and is married to classical and electronic musician Jan Hanford Buckman.

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works—whether owned or in the public domain. Creative Commons licences provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. It is sustained by the generous support of various organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of the public. For general information, visit http://creativecommons.org

Contact

Shannon Coulter
Director of Artists & Repertoire, Magnatune
Email
(415) 203-7151

Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
Email

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CREATIVE COMMONS, XLR8R MAGAZINE, AND GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCE THE CHRISTOPHER WILLITS REMIX CONTEST ON CCMIXTER.ORG

Eric Steuer, November 15th, 2006

CREATIVE COMMONS, XLR8R MAGAZINE, AND GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCE THE CHRISTOPHER WILLITS / “COLORS SHIFTING” REMIX CONTEST ON CCMIXTER.ORG

Winning Remix to Be Featured on Upcoming Compilation CD Released by XLR8R Magazine

San Francisco, CA, USA — November 15, 2006

Creative Commons, XLR8R Magazine, and Ghostly International are pleased to announce that the Christopher Willits / “Colors Shifting” Remix Contest is now taking place now at ccMixter. Visit http://ccmixter.org/ghostly for contest information, rules, and audio sources.

Ghostly International artist Christopher Willits — a Bay Area-based musician and multimedia artist — is offering the audio source files from the song “Colors Shifting” online under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, so that producers worldwide can use the sounds in remixes and new compositions. The general public is invited to download these tracks and create their own versions, appropriate elements in new compositions, and generally use the elements for any noncommercial creative expression.

Christopher Willits will select the best remix. The winning remix will be included on an XLR8R Incite CD compilation, which will be included in copies of a future issue of XLR8R Magazine.

To enter, download the separated audio elements of Christopher Willits’ “Colors Shifting” and upload a remix to ccMixter between November 29, 2006 and December 27, 2006. All entries must be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 license. Under this license, the public may legally make copies of, distribute, and create derivative works from the remixes – as long as the original authors are credited and the uses are not for commercial purposes.

Quotes about the Christopher Willits / “Colors Shifting” Remix Contest:

Christopher Willits:
“Creative Commons is helping artists forge new paths through the grey areas of digital ownership, allowing us to find appropriate boundaries of sharing our work that does not exclude creative interpretation and replication. I’m honored to be wortking with ccMixter and super excited to hear what everyone comes up with.”

Jeff Owens, label manager of Ghostly International:
“Ghostly is excited to be a part of the remix contest. Creative Commons brings fans even closer to the artist and the musical process.”

Ken Taylor, managing editor of XLR8R Magazine:
“XLR8R is totally stoked to be a part of ccMixter’s remix contest, as we share with Creative Commons the philosophy that artists – not companies – should maintain the greatest amount of control in how music is used and what it might become.”

About Christopher Willits

Christopher Willits is a musician and multimedia artist located in San Francisco, California. Striking a delicate balance between acoustic and electronic sounds and systems, Willits manages to defy genre distinctions while still defining a sound unto his own. His numerous solo releases cover a broad spectrum of musical styles, and include one main commonality: Willits’ unique use of the guitar with custom-made signal processing. This home-brewed software, along with Willits’ 6-string prowess, generates a unique real-time mixture of improvised melody and rhythm. On his breakthrough LP, Surf Boundaries, Willits merges the patterns of his signature guitar sound with treated strings, brass and five-part vocal harmonies for a sonic vision that draws upon elements of shoegaze, jazz, ambient and noise. The San Francisco Weekly named Willits “the center cell of a rather complex indie rock-avant-garde electronic art Venn diagram.”

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works—whether owned or in the public domain. Creative Commons licences provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. It is sustained by the generous support of various organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of the public. For general information, visit http://creativecommons.org.

Contact

Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
Email

Press Kit

Creative Commons Launches Photo Contest on Flickr

Melissa Reeder, November 8th, 2006

Winners’ Photos to Be Featured on CC Postcards; Winners Can Also Choose a CC Board Member to Record a Personalized Outgoing Voicemail Message

San Francisco, CA — November 8, 2006

Today, Creative Commons announced the launch of the first CC Swag Photo Contest on Flickr. The contest is part of Creative Commons’ Annual Fundraising Campaign and runs through December 18, 2006. Contest information and rules can be found on Creative Commons support page.

The CC Swag photo contest challenges people to creatively photograph Creative Commons T-shirts, buttons, stickers, and other promotional items (all available at CC’s online store) and enter their photos by uploading them to the Flickr group CCSwagcontest06.

Two winners, as chosen by Creative Commons staff, will have their photos used on Creative Commons’ informational postcards, which will be distributed internationally to promote CC and the winning photographers. Winners will receive 100 copies of the postcard that features their photo. The winners will also be able to choose a Creative Commons board member to record a personalized outgoing voicemail announcement.

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works—whether owned or in the public domain. Creative Commons licences provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. It is sustained by the generous support of various organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of the public. For general information, visit their website.

Contact

Melissa Reeder
Development Coordinator, Creative Commons
melissa@creativecommons.org

Press Kit

Creative Commons Taps Revver to Launch New Viral Video Fundraising Model

Melissa Reeder, November 1st, 2006

San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, CA – 10/31/06 – Today, Creative Commons announced that it will be the first non-profit organization to raise money through online video sharing. Revver, the first marketplace for viral videos, will host, track and monetize Creative Commons’ videos as they are viewed across the Internet during the organization’s 2006 fundraising campaign, which began in October and lasts until December 31, 2006. In support of Creative Commons, Revver will donate its share of the advertising revenue generated to the organization.

Beginning today, Creative Commons will use Revver to monetize several of its popular online videos as part of its second annual fundraising campaign. Generally, once Revver matches a video with an ad, it tracks the video as it is viewed across the Internet and shares the advertising revenue generated with the creator and the syndicator who distributes the video. However, throughout Creative Commons’2006 fundraising campaign, Revver will donate its share of the revenue to the organization. Revver currently uses Creative Commons’ free licenses to allow its users to share videos across the Internet while retaining their rights as copyright holders.

“With Creative Commons’ licenses, we’ve created an unbeatable scenario for video creators. Revver allows them to use the Internet as a platform, not just for distribution but for remuneration too, all while ensuring they retain ownership of their work,” said Steven Starr, Founder and CEO of Revver, Inc. “Supporting Creative Commons is really a pleasure since we both care deeply about the same creative community.”

Last year, Creative Commons raised more than $250,000 during its first campaign. This year, the viral videos, which illustrate the organization’s history and mission and explain how to use its licenses, will complement existing fundraising efforts, including direct donations to Creative Commons, purchases at the organization’s online store, and posting of the “Support CC 2006″ button on third party websites.

“This is a cool hack of the advertising model: Our supporters can support us by getting others to watch our videos,” said Lawrence Lessig, CEO and Chairman of Creative Commons. “Using CC’s licenses and Revver’s platform, people can help us raise money by freely and legally sharing creative work. We’re proud to be the first organization to collaborate with Revver in this way.”

The Creative Commons videos are also available without any advertising. However, because Revver can track videos as they are shared across the Internet, the organization is encouraging its supporters to support its fundraising efforts by spreading the “Revverized” versions. Creative Commons will further encourage sharing by uploading the videos to multiple websites, including: the Creative Commons website, its myspace page and Revver.

About Revver

Revver is the first online service that truly leverages the viral power of the Internet to create a marketplace for online videos. Revver matches individual videos with advertising, encourages video sharing and then uses its proprietary technology to track videos as they are viewed across the Internet. By rewarding users with a percentage of the advertising revenue generated, Revver creates a virtual marketplace for online video. Revver’s contextual advertising capabilities also connect advertisers to specific demographics with a unique collaborative learning algorithm, which maximizes ad performance.

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works—whether owned or in the public domain. Creative Commons licences provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors, artists, and educators that build upon the “all rights reserved” concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary “some rights reserved” approach. It is sustained by the generous support of various organizations including the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of the public. For general information, visit http://creativecommons.org

Contact

Betsy Damus
Edelman for Revver
Betsy.damus@edelman.com
323-202-1068

Melissa Reeder
Development Coordinator, Creative Commons
melissa@creativecommons.org
415-946-3068

Press Kit