Yesterday Nine Inch Nails released their latest album “Ghosts I-IV” under a Creative Commons license. The album is 100% DRM-free, available in a wide range of formats (Apple Lossless, MP3, CD, Vinyl, DVD, Book) and can be instantly downloaded from www.ghosts.nin.com for a suggested $5 donation (meanwhile, the first nine tracks are available for free download from the website).

I believe that releasing music under a CC License will be a growing trend in the next year. The benefits of accumulating a larger fan base far outweighs any miniscule album sale profits.

By forfeiting the exclusive ‘right to copy’, NIN is allowing this new album to penetrate the market faster, and on a larger scale. Under Creative Commons he still has the right to profit from selling physical copies of his work, he will still be credited for his work, and still be paid if his music is used for commercial purposes. Again, the main difference is that people on the internet can share his music without breaking the law (aka. getting RIAA-ed)

As an added benefit, being an early adopter for a Creative Commons License is worth millions in marketing for NIN: it’s currently the #1 most dugg story; and likely to be mentioned by every other blogger citing the end of the music industry.

Currently, songwriters take in 8¢ per song every time music is purchased (and most often the publisher will take half). Now the RIAA and record labels are pushing to lower that rate to 6¢ per song.

Songwriters fighting for fair wages? This scenario reminds me a bit of the television writers’ strike going on right now, where those involved are fighting for a residual 0.6% per DVD sold (up from 0.3%). The Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers has refused to meet the writer’s needs and left TV viewers with fragmented television series.

The difference I see between these two groups is that TV writers need the producers. Not surprisingly, producing a television show involves a much larger budget than producing a song. It takes a great effort from the studios to orchestrate the cast, sets, and equipment – and to fund the project.

But music is different. Music production and distribution costs have dropped dramatically in the past 10 years. If anything, the labels should pass some of this savings on to the musicians and songwriters. Instead they are siphoning pennies from the writers.

The RIAA will have a difficult time justifying a need for cutting the royalty rate. As a songwriter, I see this as a last stand – and reason to cut the RIAA out of your life all together.

Not that I like to defend the RIAA, but this clears up the claim that the RIAA said ripped CD’s are “unauthorized.” Despite what some websites are reporting, the RIAA is NOT saying that ripping CDs into MP3s is illegal.Read Article 

No matter how much money is coughed up in fines or how many kids get made into examples, the downloading will continue … just not on my machine.  Read More…

“You can’t force people to follow directions they deem arbitrary”.

Image and Caption thanks to Michael Salamon