Why i abandoned the “creative” commons concept.

We live in an age where many things are connected, we are connected to the electricity, the water we drink and music and art that we “i” absord. Plus a lot of toxic stuff.

The american indians said to the white folk as they arrived to the US, so i heard. “”you can’t eat petrol”". Someone also told me that the wise people within the tribes often were thinking seven generations away with their way of thinking. Could it be that the indian people let the white folk take their land and destroy everything “possibly” becauase they refused to allow their culture to migrate to the “”anglo saxon”white mans world”"?

To go on about creative commons “corporation”. Corporations are about maximum profit. If the art/written- that we create has no value, then the human right of a person to create as they choose may be lost for ever. Is this such a great thing?

From my view, the power of the commons is huge, yet the power of the individuals rights are going to be lost if the creativity of you are of no value or of value in a non-commercial way, cause how can commercial enterprise exist when the property of the people is free?

So when you I or anyone else give away something for free, without asking for reward in return, the rewards culture that we live in, no-longer has value. What does this equate to in the end? Who can say?

When something is free, people abuse it, the donkey did not win in animal farm, the pig did, yet maybe i just live in the illusion of this, maybe the donkey did win.

My experience of life after living in the Czech republic is this. Leave a door open and people are going to walk in and take what they can. Lock the door and someone probably has a key anyway.

The philosophy of the communist times was, as i have been told, “if you don’t steal it, your stealing from your family”. This way of thinking looks to have been passed on, what communism has done to the culture here in Eastern block is sad for even the people that exploited the rights. Yet maybe this philosophy of stealing developed only after the Russians brought their tanks to Prague. For sure the hat just changed color.

when i go to markets i find peoples histories thrown to the trash. As if they had no value. Excuse the opinions on Christmas day. Santa clause is not a guy that walks through the subway.

APRA shut down myspace or broweser issue???

Its kind of weird, i started to send out information to artists in Australia about the ASCAP bill of rights and you know what i can’t send messages on myspace anymore. What does that say about the rights of artists within the US and the rights of artists in Australia. The freedoms that pertain to musicains in US simply are not and want be allowed to exist outside the US. This works well for US media and also means that the governments outside the US are able to blaim the US media and use tax payers money to fund the media that is often from the US outside the US. maybe its just some pipe dream in my head, yet as of now i can’t send this message out to artists in Australia. Does that mean i should return to Australia and tell them all in persons? or is it all a wasted breath in the manufactured market of music in Australia. Go on take their pay-off sign on the dotted line, not that anyone every paid me anything. I paid everyone for my songs to be contoled by EMI music publishing in Australia, strange idea is it not? you reckon EMI would have to have a contract to do that in place, yet apparently not. The ACCC and the copyright council, say this is all normal business practise in Australia. Should i lock myself in a concrete wall and throw myself into Sydney harbour! Copyright law combined with the internet, APRA and a dinasore. The funny thing is that all the people that preech the praises of rights organizations like APRA are musicians. Imagine that they are able to convince musicians to work in these places. Crazy stuff ay, do i get off on being to much of a crazy guy?

the show must go on.
Some interesting info for you, if your music is with APRA.

ASCAP is the rights organization in the US. Their bill of rights state.

-We have the right to license our works and control the ways in which they are used.

-We have the right to choose when and where our creative works may be used for free.

Contact APRA and ask them why these freedoms that are available to artists in the US are not available to artists in Australia.

Do you want a real business of music that is able compete with the system in the US? Do you want your content to allways be priced at the same price as large bands like the red hot chilly pepars? Why do you have no choice? is the union of APRA positive for your music when every home has an internet connection and the internet is a copy machine? Did you write your songs to be heard or to get a royalty? Don’t you need the right to make your work free when the publishers reject it? Why do US composers and songwriters demand these rights?

Australian artists can join and transfer to ASCAP. You just have to send in a paper application form, rather than join online. My thoughts are that you would be able to do more with tunes, with these rights within your community than the ones you have with APRA.

http://www.ascap.com/rights/

anyway, now the myspace it is working again, it must have been a server issue, nice story though… although this myspace ID works on firefox, yet on mac browser… its not worth worring about, yet its always good to invent a theory… where would art be if we all took pills that prevented being us from being paranoid?

.mp3 .wav .ogg for Soldiers Of Happiness Jamison Young

Soldiers Of Happiness large mp3 7.6 meg

Soldiers Of Happiness By Jamison Young  33.5 meg .wav file

Soldiers Of Happiness 3.2 meg Ogg file

link to all large mp3’s

link to all ogg files

link to all .wav files

This song is licensed under creative commons attribution license 2.5 BY license in Australia. link to license

Attribute my website http://www.jamyoung.net and the creator Jamison Young when using the song where possible.

for a smaller mp3 file goto my website

 

 

The soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep
The mirror on the mantelpiece tells me it’s time to leave
Because the soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep
Why do I feel so much pain
When no-one remembers anything anyway
No-one cares what you say, people within their space
‘Cause the soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep

Hey, where’s the beautiful princess going
Really just a snob with a bad attitude
There ain’t no time to tell her the way you feel
Before you know it, a piece of meat on a wheel

The soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep
The mirror on the mantelpiece tells me it’s time to leave
‘Cause the soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep
I wonder what they’ll do when they all wake up
‘Cause the soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep

My days, my nights, my dreams throughout my life
Counting stars in my mind, feelings by my side
My higher mind’s talking to the shadows on the wall
Dream from yesterday, you can write any rhythm
Put it in a book, nothing explains the way to feel
When the soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep
The mirror on the mantelpiece tells me it’s time to leave
‘Cause the soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep
The soldiers of happiness have gone to sleep
The mirror on the mantelpiece tells me it’s time to leave
‘Cause the soldiers have left and gone to sleep

.mp3 .wav .ogg file for Carry The World Jamison Young

Carry The World Jamison Young large mp3 10.3 meg

Carry The World By Jamison 45.4 meg .wav file

Carry The World 4.2 meg ogg file

link to all large mp3’s

link to all ogg files</a

link to all .wav files

This song is licensed under creative commons attribution license 2.5 BY license in Australia. link to license

Attribute my website http://www.jamyoung.net and the creator Jamison Young when using the song where possible.

for a smaller mp3 file goto my website

I carry the world, I think about you
I really want to change and bring about me
All I do is worry, carry all these chains

I carried it home, home from school
When I left the place I carried it to
I carried it ’round like a ball and chain
All of these things don’t make me feel great

I carried it to the buddha, I didn’t let go
I carried it overseas, I thought it would float
I carried it so much, I thought I was strong
I carried and carried, I carried so long

I carried it up mountains so I could look down
I carried it beneath so I was all around
I clung to my carriage, my mission to carry
I carried and carried, I carried so long

I carried it over bridges ’til they burnt down
I carried it through the desert
I carried it through the clouds
I carried it to places no-one would go
I carried it up streams and I walked it down roads

.mp3 .wav .ogg file for How Far Jamison Young

How Far Jamison Young large mp3 8.6 meg file

How Far by Jamison Young 37.9 meg .wav file

How Far 3.5 meg ogg file

link to all large mp3’s

link to all ogg files</a

link to all .wav files

This song is licensed under creative commons attribution license 2.5 BY license in Australia. link to license

Attribute my website http://www.jamyoung.net and the creator Jamison Young when using the song where possible.

for a smaller mp3 file goto my website

Lyrics

Up and down the same old hill
On the train the same old crew
And I’ll be looking for a change
In the office same young lady gives a smile
And it’s off into a daze
And I’ll be looking for a change

How far, how far, how far
Can this dreaming go
How far, how far, how far
Can this dreaming go

I keep on wondering
What that smile means
Is it a safety zone
Or a way of seeing through
At the station
I only have loose change
I’ll be waiting for greener times
A way out of this

How far, how far, how far
Can this dreaming go
How far, how far, how far
Can this dreaming go

The open road
Then the risin’
All alone it’s good to be on this trip
The sand is joined to the sky it can’t break away

Ten thousand tracks
All divided in ten
Everywhere a junction
Everything everywhere

How far, how far, how far
Can this dreaming go
How far, how far, how far
Can this dreaming go
Can this dreaming go

ioda alliance and itsaboutmusic a digital nightmare

digital disaster story. around the digital block.

When the web got going with digital distribution, i found this site on the net called itsaboutmusic. i allowed this site to put the tunes up on mp3.com through a digital click and paying some money via credit card.

MP3.com shut down because of legal problems with the way they were dealing with music. After MP3 shut down, itsaboutmusic signed a deal with IODA alliance to distribute all the artists they had previously had with mp3.com, yet did not tell the artists. Prior to this happening I sent a mail to itsaboutmusic saying I wanted to be in control of digital rights. i then put the songs with cdbaby for digital distribution.

itsaboutmusic did not take down the songs from IODA, so the songs are with 2 distributors, this created digital distribution problems. tunes were available on the JJJ website in Australia, yet cdbaby could not tell me how. Then started to think that the distributor of cds in Australia must be digitally distributing, more confused? canceled digital distribution through cdbaby, figured no-one has the rights to the tunes.

The songs still remained on JJJ site, lots of emails latter found that the songs were being distributed through IODA, never heard of before. Contacted IODA and they took the tunes down. Asked IODA if i could maintain my tunes with them, they said NO.

Confused by everything, yet still wanting to make the songs available, i put the tunes with the Orchard via amphead in Australia. Paid extra dollars to get a promotional push. Nothing happens. Even with the current use in the film, the orchard are not interested in doing promo.

.This has all been refreshed in the last days, because of an upload to cdbaby. after all this i thought to go and check out the itsaboutmusic site.

what they say on their website.

We have distribution deals with 130 download stores, kiosk companies, retail music streaming companies and cellular companies around the world including all iTunes sites – USA, Japan, UK, etc., Rhapsody, MusicMatch, Napster, MSN, Wal-Mart, AOL – and we work feverishly to reinvent this new digital wheel every day so that more and more music fans will purchase our artists’ music.

The problem is that IODA distribute to these stores not itsaboutmusic. And on IODA’s site itsaboutmusic is not listed as a partner, how would any artist that has an issue with itsaboutmusic be able to complain? How many other labels is IODA allowing to claim that they are the distributor?

itsaboutmusic is also saying
13. No Contracts to sign except one to specify that the music you are delivering to us will only be distributed digitally by us until you terminate the deal.

The worst thing seems that the artist that sign up have to pay 250 dollars up front to IAM, cdbaby is only 30 dollars and take 9 percent. I can’t see that itsaboutmusic is really doing much for the artist, other than passing it onto another distributor. It seems this kind of arrangement works well for both IODA and itsaboutmusic.

i sent emails to IODA asking them that itsaboutmusic service be represented as it is, no response yet. Yet would it not create problems for artists with IAM if they found out what is happening, or are they happy with this? 15 percent to IODA and 10 percent to IAM. With the Orchard and cdbaby I’m able to login to their system and see where digital downloads might happen, even though not much happens with either of these services.

Most artists want to get as close to the big distributor as they can, when a guy is running a business alone from home is claiming to be big distribution, yet another company is really doing the distribution. Is the distributor responsible for this happening? Is it a problem that this guy who is making a false claims about his service is also distributing royalties to artists.

Maybe this kind of thing is standard business practice in the US, yet with the web crossing all boundaries, its strange for a big distributor like IODA, to leave room for such potential abuse. Why is itsaboutmusic not listed on IODA’s website as a distributor? How many other sites online are doing the same thing through IODA? Is this fair for artists trying to find a way for their tunes to be heard?

the end of the internet in sight C61

Here’s some stuff to love about the new bill, C-61::

-$500 per downloaded song
-No Fair Use rights for remix culture
-$20,000 for uploading content (youtube anyone?)

wow what does c-61 mean? dealing in music is going to be like dealing in illegal drugs in Canada and i spose APRA ( Australian rights organization) is going to follow on par with this, well at least be throwing stones laced with dollars at something to make this happen.

imagine this, people could be pulled over, with the music going. “excuse me, do you have a license to play that music?” . travel to the future.

…a new machine is able to detect if the music that you listen to at home has been bought or not (like a random breath test for alcohol).

what the past did not understand, you see was this. when you digest music that has not been bought and fully paid for, your brain gives off a different signal, due to the way the hairs on your body dance. music laced with different incorporated rhythms made peoples body hairs do different things and science noticed this and found a way to capitalize on it.

people said that this machine was impossible to invent. they were wrong though, it was possible. music science people were able to train these small body hairs to move in different ways when exposed to tunes radiated at different frequencies. hipnotic unbreakable ear injected unconscious hair dance code. the whole thing came out of no-where, no-one expected it and when it arrived most of the world was put in prison.

All music that evolved out of the prisons of the future was said to be of the same source and therefor owned by that source via the crime committed, as people could not afford to listen to quality music, most went straight back to prison when released, as prison was the only place people could listen to and make music. many were put straight into prison for humming that fab song at a party without having a license to do so. free culture was outlawed, 90 percent of the worlds population was shipped off to space colonies that had not been found for braking copyright law.

The world lived happily ever after.

cultural money gone mad.

While touring Austria i have visited the Spielboden venue on 3 occasions to try and organize a show. I was told that possibly this September i might get a show at the venue. The Speilboden is theater style venue with many places possible within for artists to perform/show their art. The venue is set up to provide entertainment to the community and is funded through the community through some kind of cultural fund.

Most of the content that is performed comes via commercial and non-commercial publishers. A self published artist from the other side of the world that visits the venue 3 times with cd’s and posters over a period of 2 years is still at the back of the queue. 20 phone calls and 10 emails and the first email I get is that 6 months away we can possibly fit you on a bill to play in the bar. is it worth it?

Its not so much the people that run or work in venues/theater’s fault, the job of the venue is to provide entertainment to the community, that is entertainment of the community or entertainment for the community.

If the venue puts on an act that is self published, who is going to know about that art? Yet was that the reason for the non-commercial venue in the first place, to provide entertainment that is not a commodity. Or do these non-comercail venues compete with the commercial venues now. Can a commercial venue compete with the non-commercial venue?

A big problem seems to be that the label/published and culturally published acts take up probably 95 percent of the program. The culturally backed venue deals almost always exclusively with professional promoters, bookers. Its considered a fluke for a self published artist to get a show in this venue. For me it seems slightly unfair that the self published artist has to compete with often published international touring acts in a culturally funded space. Some kind of positive discrimination is needed to make sure that these venues don’t always go for commercial or culturally published music. yet how to do this.

Although look at it from a distance. Its anti the established culture to provide spaces for real culture to evolve.

Does it all come back to the one price for use of content via the rights organizations. This in turn creates a need for culturally funded publishers/venues/spaces. Yet when that funding starts to feed the commercial publishers, is this a corruption. Is it a corruption that the music business in Europe is sustained through cultural funding. The people pay tax’s to fund venues to provide culture that the commercial streams should have brought them anyway? I spose all bricks in a wall are dependent on each other. Yet i’m sure that other ways exist for these venues to function. What can yo do when the people want rock stars?

Indra from Antwerp

Error

This video doesn’t exist

error

http://www.rawmedia.tv

Talking to Indra from a family based in Antwerp that run events in the lounge room for local artists. Although the doors are open to the public they do not do any advertising through any off line channels. The result is that they get a great bunch of people to listen to artists from the community. Although the event is free and most of the artists that play music are not with any form of publishing, SABAM have the right (by law) to fine AMPER elders for use of music. SABAM view all use of music content as commercial. The events have become so popular that well known artists within the Belgium arts scene that are with cultural/commercial publishers see this as an event that they want to perform at. The over regulation of the scene by organizations like SABAM not only effect artists at a grass routes level. They effect artists that are at higher up the food chain. The reality is that the board of the SABAM wants to see more karaoke/cultural music than anything else, as they represent shareholders of corporations or cultural funds. SO what about PUNK culture? The only way that this can change is through these monopoly organizations being forced into deregulation by the authorities run by the government. The Belgium government is quite aware of the corruption within the system, however they want force change. Partly because so many non-profits are funded. Why are the funded? because of the over regulation. What to do? This same or similar situation exists in all of the developed world except in the US, in the US artists are able to work out agreements as they choose and remain with BMI ASCAP rights organizations. One solution would be to change the way that the common law is structured. Yet i’m still trying to get my head around that.

Niaal works in the Bar at Vamoose and is in a band

Error

This video doesn’t exist

error

Niaal works in the bar at Vamoose. Over the past 3 years performing in Venues around Norway.

Niaal Performs in

The low Frequency In Stereo

The Megaphonic Thrift

The Alexandria Quartet

http://www.rawmedia.tv 

Bergen

In Bergen right now. The flight path from Bergen to Oslo is on of the most busy flight paths in Europe. The train trip is 7 hours. Strange that a fast train does not go between both places. Although i did not mind the slow trip through the mountains. This place is much more relaxed than Oslo, not that Oslo is that stressed. Lot more venues and places to perform songs at around here.

Hein from Amsterdam

Error

This video doesn’t exist

error

We met at Waterhole (venue in Amsterdam). Hein was watching some of his friends performing covers. It seems the only gig a self published artist can get in Amsterdam is playing content owned by a publisher or playing in a competition for free.

You can find out more info about Hein Japp and the band he performs with @

http://www.reboundoogiebent.nl

http://www.rawmedia.tv

Serg from Antwerp

Error

This video doesn’t exist

error

http://www.rawmedia.tv

James King talks about SABAM

Error

This video doesn’t exist

error

http://www.rawmedia.tv

apra rights organization the effect in short

The real change i see is that most consumers have technology to create, yet APRA’s policy of one price for use of content makes it impossible for distribution of art not without a publisher, to both commercial and non-commercial streams that are off line. Yet online myspace and youtube don’t pay for the use of content. The effect of this is that the rights organizations are keeping people online and inside their homes; stopping the flow of culture outside the home. One problem is that APRA don’t show how they create the cost for use of content. how can open content be integrated ?

APRA create conditions to suit their needs

Although i can find many artists to agree to copy and paste on my myspace “i support reforms for APRA” (with very little effort) not one alternative radio station that I am aware of has mentioned issue’s that relate to APRA and Creative Commons. I have contacted many alternative and public radio stations around Australia to raise the issue, with no result. I started to wonder why, the issue of creative commons licenses and rights organizations is quite interesting for artists and public.

PBS is a radio station based in Fitzroy Melbourne that uses mostly alternative music content. PBS are able to stream content globally under the license fee they pay. PBS possibly get much of the revenue to run their organization through subscriptions from abroad. If PBS started to collect content from artists that were not members of APRA, under something similar to the ownterms contract idea at this link, http://ownterms.pbwiki.com/contract-2 (to lower operating costs and introduce new media to their listeners) APRA who have a monopoly would see this as a threat.

APRA are easily able to manipulate market conditions. APRA create conditions that force “self published” artists to join a network of rights organizations so that media can use that content (without the artist being a member of APRA the media is not legally able to use that artists content) APRA supply content at one price. APRA want recognize Creative Commons licenses. Creative Commons licenses provide a legal platform for use of self published content without the rights organization.

I’m not sure how APRA work out how much users of content pay to be able to stream content, as APRA do not list prices for use of content on their website. Does this create unfair conditions for business? The market is not able to use other content in conjunction with APRA’s content to the users advantage. Its quite simple for content to be tagged and identified as a different media. New technology means that media and creators of media need to be able to innovate. APRA’s blanket license prevents innovation to occur from both the creators and users perspective.

Without all price variables for use of content being listed in an easy and understandable way online, how can users be sure they are being treated on equal terms? How are artists able to judge if they want their content provided at this price? If i had a venue or was running an event i would want the details of how the price for use of content is construction. I would want security that my competitors were paying the same price. Listing the variables used to calculate prices for use of content on APRA’s website (however complex they may be) seems like something the business community would want. A regular audit by the ACCC would ensure consumer comfort. Under the current conditions it appears that APRA are able to create conditions that suit the board.

APRA are able to lock use of non APRA content out of the market and their is clear evidence that they do this. I’m quite sure that I am not the first person to bring these issue’s up with the ACCC, what i want to know is why the ACCC continues to allow APRA to maintain their license in such unfair conditions. Members of the business community are simply not able to go against the rights organization because they stand to loose so much.

canada rights organization

i read this at this link

In Canada the songs organization want to put a 60 dollar tax on every net connection and allow free file sharing. my response that seemed to have got lost in a huge ocean of response. My response was this.

what about art that people want to give away free. why would people pay for that? seems like a law not fair to artists not with labels and publishers. good law for the bureaucracy. what rights organizations tend to forget is that people are just not buying as much content as they used to. people are making more content at home. technology has changed yet the laws have stayed the same. these rights organizations were created for the publishers not the artists. with the net we don’t need them publishers or labels anymore.

we also don’t need them political people making decisions that make life better for corporations than people. what to do?

its not oil free

On facebook they have a group saying that digital music is oil free. response:

facebook group link are they going to delete the post?

one thing that is not oil free is all the money spent on promotion of music via publishers and labels. the best thing you can do for the environment is not pay for content owned by any label or publisher and buy content put out by self publishers, that is not joined to rights organizations. so really its not true that digital music is oil free. if you don’t buy it its less oil free. yet even then maybe having that music helps that published artist sell product via use of that content. its all a scam and you label people know it in your heart. go plant a tree and be real.

sound of mu gig

The main act did not show up for sunday night gig, with out a main act the turn out was ok. i like that venue, was nice to have a sound guy rather than always doing my own sound as i did lot on tour around last shows. thinking of buying one of the aer amps, the weight just over 7 kilos (40 watts), yet the problem is that they don’t plug in in the US. its interesting that this is probably the best weight for quality amp in the world, yet few are sold in the US. does this mean that most people in the US who play music have cars. Last time i went to the US, a lot of bookers would not take me on cause i said i would only use public transport. they said you had to have a car to get to the gigs.

open real open or open as in your free to open this can when you buy it

In the last months I have had both my tunes and and photos used in projects because they were tunes/pics that were licensed under
creative commons open licenses. what i find interesting is that most
people license their content using NC (non commercial creative commons licenses). This means the pics and tunes can be only used in a non-commercial context. Non commercial and commercial are really gray areas. As we all know corporations are about lawyers (and .org’s as well). So no corporation is going to take open content that seriously (yet). They can’t be sure that the person did not just upload an unknowen indie band from next door or take someelses pic. So public domain stuff is high risk, creative commons is doing their best to change this. yet things can only ever be so secure. Rights organizations view everything as a commercial use (even the noise comming from your arse if they could!) that is why i see the a creative commons open license as being the way to go for now. Especially for artists that are not with a form of exclusive publishing. Attribution is the future form of creative currency ( i reckon). Non-commercial radio networks for the most are getting 100 percent of their content via small and large publishers, this want change while the small labels that are often funded by the government, via system of grants are being given money, because of the hungry arsses of the people in the rights organizations. its created an ears in pockets arts culture.

So an open license is a license for the people and also people with small business. Although some big business is using open licensed content, if they were to use that open content they are probably going to check up with you to use it. Also BY = attribution. what does this mean, well they have to attribute you for use. is that not what an artist wants. i’m not seeing car comercials with attribution, yet if they want to put you as the creator of the song in the commercial, then that is cool. yet when is that ever going to happen?

also SA (share alike) is it the way to go?

Its interesting that many wiki pages are listed under BY SA, (this means
attribution with share alike function) this means that to use the information from WIKI you have to share the content under the same license. I don’t (agree) with this much. I’ll give you an example
why. I want to sell my camera on ebay, its an old camera. I find some
info that is great through wiki on the camera. I use it, even if i
attribute the user of the license i am still in breech of copyright
law. Now if in the future wiki invent some kind of robot that enforces
the law. like the wiki share alike police. they could get your item
taken down. so really people don’t have access to the sum of all human
whatever. or maybe using selling your camera on ebay is a non-commercial use. Yet these things are always going to be strange

So be open

This is the wiki license at the moment

This is the creative commons BY SA license.