First Electronica Album Released under CC, with Radio Royalties Too
January 28, 2008 – 10:37 am by Thomas GideonI saw this on Boing Boing last week and discussed it on my last podcast.
In book publishing, there are many examples of CC works being licensed commercially without conflict, though there is much discussion about what type of author this benefits most, newer ones or established. The article claims this is the first electronic album, “Small Arm Sea” by Tone, to strike a similar balance. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is the first album regardless of genre. It seems the collecting societies, the organizations responsible for collecting royalties from radio play, have universally refused to collect for works released under Creative Commons licenses.
The label, Urlyd, and society, KODA, in this case are both located in Denmark, a country which I have seen in the news over the years with some more progressive stances on access to information and information technology in general. That may be a factor, here. Regardless, this example should help prove to a reluctant industry that this sort of dual licensing can work, ideally quite well.
The CC license in question is explicitly non-commercial so essentially non-overlapping with radio play and other commercial uses. It also looks like the label may be interested in using this license with other artists, not just this one, Tone (aka Sofie Nielsen).
The details of the free download is similar in many ways to Radiohead’s experiment last year. There are physical versions of the album available that add features above and beyond those of the free version. If you follow the links through to the download page, you’ll even see a PayPal donate button so you can choose to support the artist even if you just grab the free version of the album. One could argue that the only difference, really, is that Tone is less known. One of her singles, though, hit number four on the Danish national charts. I don’t think it is a fair characterization, anyway, as all acts were relatively unknown at the start.
The contrast between an established act and a new one exploring these new opportunities is informative, though. Radiohead could probably take or leave the idea on their next album. If Tone is at all successful, hopefully she and Urlyd will release her next album the same way, rewarding the fans who supported her to that point.
I have downloaded the free album and can say I enjoyed it. The electronica genre covers a lot of territory and Tone’s work is softer, more informed by Jazz influences. Her vocals on some tracks reminds me strongly of Bjork but a bit more mellow. If this sounds like your cup of tea, download the album yourself and if you enjoy it, donate or buy the album on CD or DVD.
