Press Releases
PUMP AUDIO AND CREATIVE COMMONS COLLABORATE ON COMMERCIAL LICENSING FOR INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS
PUMP AUDIO AND CREATIVE COMMONS COLLABORATE ON COMMERCIAL LICENSING FOR INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS
Hudson Valley, NY and San Francisco, CA – December 12, 2006 – Pump Audio, the leading provider of quality independent music to content creators globally, today announced that it has teamed up with Creative Commons to expand and promote fair commercial licensing options for artists worldwide. Pump Audio is offering a variety of Creative Commons copyright licenses to its independent musicians who want to allow various forms of non-commercial use of their music.
“Creative Commons and Pump Audio share a common goal of giving artists the freedom to license their creative works as they see fit,” said Steve Ellis, founder and CEO of Pump Audio. “Pump Audio is all about giving independent musicians a
fair deal by connecting them with the producers in TV, advertising, and the Web who are clamoring for original and legal music to accompany their creations. By working with Creative Commons, we can provide even more independent musicians with greater commercial licensing options for their music.”
As part of the collaboration, Pump Audio has introduced an online badge for artists, allowing them to designate on any Web page, artist blog, or MySpace profile that their music is available for commercial licensing through Pump Audio. Artists can pair their new Pump Audio badges with similar badges for their Creative Commons copyright licenses, enabling them to promote both their commercial and non-commercial licensing preferences. (Examples can be found at lovetheory.com/listenbuy.html and myspace.com/garynewvision).
“The goal of Creative Commons is to provide authors and artists with easy ways to mark their creative work with the freedom they intend it to carry,” said Lawrence Lessig, Creative Commons’ CEO. “We’re incredibly excited to work with Pump Audio to offer independent musicians a fair and innovative licensing option for the commercial use of their music in both traditional and online media.”
Under Pump Audio’s artist-friendly system, licensing revenues are split equally with musicians, and the artists retain complete ownership over their music. Pump Audio helps independent musicians license their music to traditional producers in TV, advertising and interactive media through the PumpBox, its advanced search software and delivery system, as well as to content creators of all types through Pump Audio’s Soundtrack service on the Web. Pump Audio’s production customers include MTV Networks, NBC Studios, HBO, New Line Cinema and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi.
Creative Commons copyright licenses allow authors and artists to mark their works as free to copy or transform under certain conditions — to declare “some rights reserved,” in contrast to the traditional “all rights reserved” — thereby enabling others to access a growing pool of raw materials without legal friction.
About Pump Audio
Pump Audio licenses the world’s best independent music to content creators worldwide. Founded in 2001, Pump Audio has established itself as a leading provider of digital music for TV and advertising producers. Now Pump Audio is becoming the soundtrack of the Internet, opening Web access to its catalog of tens of thousands of songs so creators of all types can build music into their video and interactive productions. With Pump Audio, artists can license their music into productions without giving up any ownership, while content creators can discover new music ready for use. Based in the Hudson Valley, Pump Audio can be found at pumpaudio.com.
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 creativecommons.org.
Contact
Matt Hicks
SutherlandGold Group for Pump Audio
415-722-3603
Email
Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
Email
Creative Commons and Owl Multimedia Introduce the World’s First “True Music Search Engine”
Creative Commons and Owl Multimedia Introduce the World’s First “True Music Search Engine”
10,444 Tracks Available Under Creative Commons License Searchable by Sound Via Collections From Magnatune and ccMixter
San Francisco, CA, USA and New York, NY, USA — December 6, 1006
Creative Commons, a nonprofit organization that provides flexible copyright licenses for authors and artists, and Owl Multimedia Inc., a leading music search technology firm, today announced the launch of Owl Music Search, a revolutionary music search engine that enables Internet users to discover new music using sound similarity instead of traditional text-based queries. The first-of-its-kind music search engine is the initial offering of a collaborative alliance forged between the two companies to develop and deliver a range of innovative music services to the Creative Commons community and the Internet at large.
The search engine, developed by Owl Multimedia, whose tagline is “finding music through music™,” enables music lovers to discover thousands of tracks released under Creative Commons licenses by comparing the sounds of songs they own with the sounds of thousands of new songs. It is available on Creative Commons’ website by visiting search.creativecommons.org.
Owl Multimedia and Creative Commons share the vision that the open exchange of musical works is integral to the creative process and to the growth of culture itself. By enabling search without text, the companies hope to increase access to music outside of the mainstream and facilitate the legal sharing and reuse of music.
“Our aim is not only to increase the sum of raw source material online, but also to make access to that material cheaper and easier,” said Lawrence Lessig, Creative Commons founder and CEO. “We hope that the ease of use introduced by Owl Music Search will further reduce barriers to creativity. Owl’s innovations in music search and discovery make them the logical choice for us to work with to realize this vision.”
There are currently over 300,000 tracks by independent and emerging artists that are released under Creative Commons licenses and hosted on sites like Magnatune, a “try before you buy” digital music store; ccMixter, a music remixing community; Jamendo, a free and legal music sharing community; and others. Owl Music Search aims to provide access to all of these tracks while eliminating the need to know what or who you’re looking for.
“Over the past decade, search engines like Google and Yahoo! changed the way people interacted with text-based information, but these systems have barely scratched the surface of what is possible in the music space,” said Frank Geshwind, CTO of Owl Multimedia. “This collaboration represents a giant leap forward for music search and discovery.”
While most existing Internet music search engines rely on text-based associations to generate results, Owl Music Search looks “inside the music” to extract hundreds of acoustic features and create a digital description which can then be matched against other descriptions, providing a higher degree of accuracy and granularity in its results.
Geshwind continued, “Our technology paired with Creative Commons’ commitment to the open sharing of creative works will bring greater opportunity to artists whether they are looking to distribute and share their work or looking to remix, reuse, and build upon the work of others.”
Owl’s intuitive search interface makes discovering music as simple as opening a file. Using the site’s browser-based application, which includes a built-in media player, a user can open a song, pinpoint a region of interest, and then search for tracks containing similar sounds. Owl’s search engine uses sophisticated acoustic analysis, audio description and similarity algorithms to create and compare digital descriptions of thousands of tracks, and return similar sounding songs.
The results returned to the browser can be further refined by the user, using filters on other attributes such as artist, album, genre, year, and Creative Commons license. Users can preview the results, get additional information about them, and optionally purchase or download copies of the tracks. The site also offers community-based features, such as tagging, which help train the company’s comparison algorithms.
“Music is an international language, but the language used to describe music is not. It is much simpler to search for and discover music with music than by recalling and typing complex search terms,” said Todd Carter, CEO and co-founder of Owl Multimedia. Owl Music Search is the first major innovation in the world of music search since the advent of the search engine. Web searches will no longer have to rely on text that may or may not be attached to a given song file.
“Owl Music Search will change the way consumers look for music online, enabling the next-generation of online music. Owl Music Search truly allows consumers to hear a great variety of music that matches their musical tastes,” added Carter.
About Owl Multimedia
Owl Multimedia, Inc. is a privately held company and was founded in 2005. Owl’s mission is to build the world’s largest online index of music and other content and make this information available to anyone with an Internet connection. Owl’s automated “finding music through music™” search technology helps people obtain nearly instant access to music from this vast online index. Owl’s main office is located 419 Lafayette St. 2nd floor New York, NY 10003. For general information, visit owlmm.com.
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 creativecommons.org.
Contact
David Furfero
Creative Director, Owl Multimedia
Email
Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
Email
Creative Commons and New World Notes Present Judge Richard A. Posner in Second Life
San Francisco, CA, USA — December 5, 2006
Creative Commons and New World Notes are pleased to sponsor a conversation with Judge Richard A. Posner in the virtual world of Second Life on December 7, 2006 at 6-8pm PST. Second Life is an online society in a 3D world, where users can explore, build, socialize, and participate in their own economy. Visit this SLurl to launch the Second Life application and link to Creative Commons’ virtual headquarters, where the event will take place.
Judge Richard A. Posner is a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School and a judge in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He will log into Second Life as an avatar crafted in his likeness to discuss his new book, Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency. In his book, Judge Posner discusses the role of constitutional law and government conduct as it relates to enforcing national security and adjusting civil liberties in a time of heightened terrorist watch.
After a brief discussion between discussion moderator James Au (AKA “Hamlet Au” in Second Life) and Judge Posner, the audience will have a chance to ask questions. Judge Posner will also sign virtual copies of his book.
To attend the event, register for a free Second Life account and download the software at SecondLife.com. Please RSVP to Jennifer Yip (AKA “Genevieve Junot” in Second Life) via SL IM or email her directly at jennifer@creativecommons.org with your Second Life first and last name. Space is limited to the first 100 people who respond. For those who cannot attend, the conversation’s transcript will be made available on James Au’s blog, New World Notes.
About New World Notes
New World Notes is the blog run by James Au (AKA “Hamlet Au” in Second Life). In NWN, Au and his contributing writers document the controversial and innovative happenings of the virtual society in Second Life. Au also currently contracts for Creative Commons to help promote and coordinate in-world events that highlight CC-licensed work by SL creators.
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 creativecommons.org.
Contact
Wagner James Au
Journalist, New World Notes
Email
Jennifer Yip
Office Manager, Creative Commons
Email
MAGNATUNE FOUNDER JOHN BUCKMAN JOINS CREATIVE COMMONS BOARD
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
CREATIVE COMMONS, XLR8R MAGAZINE, AND GHOSTLY INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCE THE CHRISTOPHER WILLITS REMIX CONTEST ON CCMIXTER.ORG
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
Creative Commons Launches Photo Contest on Flickr
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
Creative Commons Taps Revver to Launch New Viral Video Fundraising Model
Viral Video Fundraising Model
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
Creative Commons Launches 2nd Annual Fundraising Campaign
Creative Commons Launches 2nd Annual Fundraising Campaign
San Francisco, USA — October 17, 2006
Creative Commons has just launched its 2nd Annual Fundraising Campaign.
The second annual campaign features new support pages on the Creative Commons website which offer new swag including a new T-shirt design, new vinyl stickers and hipster CC buttons. In addition, bloggers and others with an online presence can incorporate “Support CC 2006” buttons into their site. More details about the campaign can be found here. CC has also launched a new Creative Commons store where you can purchase the “Commoner Shirt” and the new “Support Your Favorite Licenses” shirts, which showcase the different Creative Commons license icons, so that people can choose the shirt that corresponds with their favorite license.
Another feature of this campaign are the letters that Creative Commons CEO and Chairman – Lawrence Lessig – will be writing to anyone subscribed to this list. This series of 6 email letters will address what Creative Commons has achieved over the past 12 months and what the organization plans to achieve over the next 12 with the help of the funds raised during this campaign. Lessig will be featuring stories from the CC communities in different jurisdictions around the world in order to actualize what’s happening internationally. To date, Creative Commons licenses have been ported to over 30 jurisdictions around the world.
“With the number of Creative Commons licenses reaching 145 million this year, CC has demonstrated that many authors and artists around the world invite use and reuse of their creativity,” said CEO & Chairman Lawrence Lessig, “This fundraising campaign allows Creative Commons secure valuable support needed to allow us to continue to serve and enable the interests of these authors and artists and the general public who benefits from flexibly licensed content.”
Last year Creative Commons raised over US$250,000. This year it hopes to raise $300,000 to continue work on their ongoing projects and to initiate new and exciting endeavors.
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, theHewlett Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of the public. For general information, please visit our website.
Contact
Melissa Reeder
Development Coordinator, Creative Commons
email
Palast Productions Announces Armed Madhouse Remix Contest
Palast Productions Announces Armed Madhouse Remix Contest: Excerpts From Audiobook of Greg Palast’s New York Times Bestseller Offered Under Creative Commons License
New York, USA — September 28, 2006
The Palast Investigative Fund, Palast Productions, Creative Commons, Alternative Tentacles Records, and Air America Radio are proud to present the Armed Madhouse Remix Contest, taking place now at gregpalast.com/remix.
The Palast Investigative Fund is offering tracks from the audiobook of Greg Palast’s New York Times bestselling book Armed Madhouse online under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial license, so that remixes can easily be created for the contest.
Armed Madhouse: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Class War was written by the award-winning BBC investigative reporter Greg Palast. Guest readers on the audiobook include a wide range of celebrities including Ed Asner, Larry David, Janeane Garofalo, and Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys. Other readers include progressive political journalists, commentators, and activists like Jim Hightower, Amy Goodman, Medea Benjamin, and Randi Rhodes.
Major artists including Eminem and Moby have created songs and mixes inspired by Greg Palast’s investigations. Now the general public has a chance to use Palast’s words in their own remixes.
The winners, who will be chosen by the public and celebrity judges, will receive prizes which include exposure on Air America Radio, Simon and Schuster’s and Greg Palast’s websites, as well as featured placement on Palast Productions’ upcoming spoken word CD produced by Jello Biafra’s label, Alternative Tentacles.
Submissions will be accepted through October 30th, 2006. Winners will be announced on Friday, November 3rd 2006.
About Greg Palast
Greg Palast is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Armed Madhouse (Penguin 2006). When Palast, an investigator of corporate fraud and racketeering, turned his skills to journalism, he was quickly recognized as, “The most important investigative reporter of our time” [Tribune Magazine] in Britain, where his first reports appeared on BBC television and in the Guardian newspapers.
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
Christy Speicher
Palast Productions
212-505-5566
Email
Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
Email
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Launches Free Classical Music Podcast – “The Concert” – Under a Creative Commons License
Museum offers unreleased live performances by notable musicians and emerging young artists for free download and file sharing
BOSTON, MA, USA — September 14, 2006
Starting today, everyone who visits the website of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum will be able to download free classical music and share it with anyone, anywhere.
“The Concert,” the museum’s new classical music podcast, features unreleased live performances by master musicians and talented young artists recorded from the museum’s Sunday Concert Series, the nation’s longest-running museum music series. Today, the museum posts the first in a series of 45-minute podcasts, including music by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and Chopin for solo piano, orchestra, string quartet, and voice. A new podcast will be posted on the 1st and 15th of every month, and users will be able to subscribe to receive free, automatic updates delivered directly to their computers or mp3 players.
With this podcast, the Gardner Museum also breaks new ground, becoming the first art museum to encourage sharing and free distribution of its online programming by using a “some rights reserved” copyright license from Creative Commons. On the website, links to the Music Sharing license encourage users to freely share the music they download in “The Concert,” making the Gardner Museum one of the few early adopters of flexible copyright in licensing classical music.
“By sharing its renowned classical music performances with all the world under a Creative Commons license, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum embraces its public, expands its reach, and steps into the future,” said Eric Saltzman, a Creative Commons founder and board member. “Creative Commons got its start across the river in Cambridge, so we’re especially pleased that the museum looked to CC to make “The Concert” series freely available online.”
The Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School has worked with the museum to address legal issues relating to podcasting music and using Creative Commons licenses for podcasts.
“To be able to support the artists who perform here and, at the same time, to expand the reach of classical music is very exciting,” says Gardner Museum Music Director Scott Nickrenz. “By using podcasting technology, and with the full support of the artists, we’re going to be able, for the first time, to offer free recordings of great classical music to anyone who wants to listen, wherever they want to listen.”
The podcast is a modern continuation of the museum’s long history of supporting young artists. Artists heard in this first season of “The Concert” run the gamut from young chamber musicians to established solo pianists. The artists whose performances are featured in “The Concert” include: the Borromeo String Quartet, the Claremont Trio, violinist Corey Cerovsek, the Gardner Chamber Orchestra with conductor Douglas Boyd, harpsichordist John Gibbons, violist Kim Kashkashian, Musicians from Marlboro, flutist Paula Robison, baritone Randall Scarlata, and pianists Jeremy Denk, Paavali Jumppanen, Cecile Licad, and Seymour Lipkin. Artist and composer bios are available on the website.
“This is a great opportunity, not just for the musicians involved, but for listeners, too,” says pianist Jeremy Denk, one of the musicians heard in “The Concert” and the author of the blog Think Denk. “For such a long time, the only way to get a recording out was to go through established channels of distribution, and even then, it’s rare that a classical record is widely available. The internet has really changed that. Projects like this support new voices in classical music, and create new opportunities for audiences to hear them.”
“I don’t think Isabella Gardner could have imagined all the incredible innovations of the past century, but at its heart this podcast is a continuation of her vision for the museum, and of her spirit of adventure and creativity in supporting artists,” says Anne Hawley, Norma Jean Calderwood Director of the Gardner Museum.
The title “The Concert” is in part an homage to the Gardner Museum’s treasured Vermeer painting “The Concert,” stolen in 1990.
“THE CONCERT”: WHAT’S INSIDE
“The Concert” strives to make classical music accessible to many different kinds of listeners. Rather than re-broadcasting complete concerts, each podcast features selections from the museum’s recording archives, paired in a way that draws interesting connections between pieces and offers variety. In a single podcast, a listener may hear a Schubert song and a string quartet, or a Mozart violin sonata and a concerto. Brief introductions place the music in context for listeners. Those interested in additional information about composers or artists featured in the podcast can find bios and links on the podcast website.
The podcast is also a first step towards building a free online classical music library on the museum’s website. Each musical work featured in “The Concert” will be archived to this virtual library, sorted by performer and composer. As it grows, the library will be a resource for free classical music that can be shared with listeners around the world.
BREAKING NEW GROUND WITH CREATIVE COMMONS
All podcasts in “The Concert” are offered under a Music Sharing license from Creative Commons, meaning that users are free “to download, copy, file-share, trade, distribute, and publicly perform (e.g. webcast)” the podcast for any noncommercial purpose. The Gardner Museum’s choice to allow free sharing is a first for an art museum.
“As soon as I heard that this was an option, I knew it was the right thing for us to do,” says Scott Nickrenz. “If we’re serious about getting this music out there, we need to allow people to spread the word. Whether that means using peer-to-peer file sharing or burning a CD and sending it to your grandparents, we want people to be able to share this music in a way that works for them, using the power of the internet to spread classical music.”
The Clinical Program in Cyberlaw at Harvard’s Berkman Center (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/home/clinical) provided support and legal counsel for the project. “This has been an exciting collaboration for us,” explains John Palfrey, Executive Director of the Berkman Center and Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. “We’re big believers in combining the innovative use of technology with the freedoms offered by a Creative Commons license to help increase everyone’s access to information, knowledge and music, like these terrific Gardner concert recordings.”
MUSIC AT THE GARDNER MUSEUM
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is home to the oldest museum music program in the country. From September through May, the museum hosts weekly Sunday concerts. The Sunday Concert Series features renowned musicians, and the Young Artists Showcase presents outstanding emerging artists. Composer Portraits features adventurous young performers playing the music of 20th- and 21st-century composers. Live performances from the Gardner Museum are heard frequently on radio, locally on WGBH radio and nationally on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.”
Isabella Stewart Gardner established a legacy of music with the creation of her museum. Boston Symphony Orchestra members performed on opening night, January 1st, 1903. Isabella Stewart Gardner also supported established and emerging young musicians, including Margaret Ruthven Lang, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s first female member. The music program at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was formally established 79 years ago.
About the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a work of art itself. Housed in a Venetian-inspired palace, turned inside-out and surrounding an ever-changing courtyard garden, the museum’s collection spans more than 30 centuries and features artworks by Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Degas and Sargent. Continuing the legacy of its founder, changing contemporary and historic exhibitions, the oldest museum music program in the country, seasonal courtyard garden displays, annual free days, visiting contemporary artists and innovative school and community partnerships enrich the permanent collection and provide ongoing inspiration for all.
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
Charlotte Landrum
Podcast Project Manager & Marketing Associate, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Phone: 617.278.5106
Email
Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
Phone: 415.946.3039
Email
