One of the faults with today’s copyright system is that it is virtually impossible to use any media in any form in another work because of these reasons:

• Everything is copywritten automatically, but no record is kept of who owns that right.
• The idea of “free use” is held at ransom at the whim of the unknown right holder and their lawyers.
• No regular human can afford the process, let alone the cost of licensing media for use.

Where does that leave us? Since most culture is built on something from the past, big media owns more and more of our culture. And the problem will only get worse unless we do something about it.

One such company is Magnatune. This competitor to iTunes sells music, but they are following a different model:

• Try before you buy. Listen to it online.
• Buy it in almost any format you want. Physical CD, download and burn, MP3, FLAC, AAC, OGG, VBR MP3.
• They ask you to share your download code with 3 other people.
• You can license any of their music by filling out a simple web form and paying a realistic licensing fee.

When an Ad Exec friend of mine heard me talking about this she asked me to forward her the link. She related what a pain it is to license music. She said it was never worth it to go through the lawyers and that they usually hire a musician to write a song that is significantly different than the music they want, but as close as they can get and still be safe from law suits. How sad!

No, you will not find your favorite big label band here, but maybe you’ll find something you like. Services like this should be the first place we look for new music. That is, if your local indie disc shop doesn’t have something you like. Anyway, don’t you need a new favorite band?

Check out Magnatune!

While you are there you could look up Drop Trio. This Jazz trio has some good grove. Just what I was looking for. I ended up buying their album Big Dipper. Good stuff!!