Former Wilco member Jay Bennett is an incredibly talented singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer who has just put out his fifth solo album, Whatever Happened I Apologize, as a free download under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial license. For the release, Bennett is working with Rock Proper, an online distributor of CC-licensed music. The company has a great mission statement:

Rock Proper seeks to enhance the lives of these artists by embracing the technologies of today. While not exactly a record label, Rock Proper is constantly vigilant; researching all possible channels of revenue that may allow these musicians to continue creating.

In the past, the ways we discovered music felt immediate and personal. Mix-tapes, fan-zines, underground radio, and uncle John’s LP collection all celebrated music well beyond the boundaries of commerce. Like these old models, Rock Proper seeks to deliver music of integrity with immediacy and care.