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 https://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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