Well, it’s not really as bad as it sounds. TechCrunch did a recent feature on Swype, and the video they created to support the article used my remix of Brad Sucks “Making Me Nervous”. I didn’t get paid anything for it (nor did Brad that I’m aware of), but they did attribute me at the end of the video, just like the CC license called for (unfortunately, no mention of Brad!). An excellent example of CC licensing in effective and practical use, and to have it featured on TechCrunch is the icing on the cake.
TechCrunch is read and hit by millions of web users every day, which in turn means millions (not hundreds here….millions!) of people probably read this article, and probably a good number of them hit the play button on the embedded video (well actually, almost a half million of them by the YouTube count). And it’s only been up for about 3 weeks. This kind of exposure is something that neither Brad nor I could possibly afford to buy, yet we get it for free. That’s right. We got a half million listeners for FREE! Because we gave it away to begin with, and made it easy for others, including media organizations like TechCrunch, to use with the proper CC licensing parameters.
It is kind of revolutionary, and forward/backward thinking what we are doing with the new music paradigm. Guys like Brad having been giving it away from the beginning, and now you hear all about big commercial acts like Smashing Pumpkins following suit. It’s about building a village. A global village of like minded artists who can appreciate and promote this new idea. A place like ccmixter.
2 Comments
Excellent points and fantastic article! This type of exposure is exactly why I participate in creative commons myself and I think your song helps add an excellent professionally commercial feel for TechCrunch.
Thanks Tenny. It’s funny because arguably the biggest detriment I think to more people submitting their original works to ccmixter is the fear of what happens next. Given the difficulty of managing one’s artistic intellectual property, it only makes sense to try to use it to promote and build a brand (by giving it away and freeing yourself from the headache of managing it) than to just try and make a quick buck sale.