[Cc-uk] MUSIC WEEK CRITICISES CC
David M.Berry
d.berry at sussex.ac.uk
Thu Feb 3 13:09:56 EST 2005
This is in Music Week this week...
Thoughts comments?
David
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Music Week 31st Jan-3rd Feb
There has been a lot of talk about a new idea for copyright from across
the Atlantic from the US. We are told this is an idea that will
revolutionise both culture and commerce on the internet and will create
a new huge ‘public domain’ of ideas from which will spread a new
renaissance. Sounds good? Not if you are involved in the music
business.
Originated by Stamford law professor Laurence Lessig, Creative Commons
is a new series of licences that creators can attach to their work for
internet distribution. But where is the commerce element? The answer is
there isn’t any – the creator puts the work up for free and the only
real right which he or she tries to enforce is the right to have their
name attached to the work.
OK, I’ve pressed up 200 copies of my band’s demo and we’re looking for
a deal, so I’m giving them away to everyone and I’ll stick a Creative
Commons licence on them for our webpage and then when we get a deal
we’ll cancel the licence, get an advance from ‘Super Publishing inc’
and put out the album.
Sorry, no. A Creative Commons licence is not just for Christmas, it’s
forever. You and the band will never earn one penny in publishing
royalties from your creation.
Worse still, in 2012 when President Jeb Bush is running for
re-election, he is going to use your anthem for world peace in his
adverts to demonstrate how the world needs saving from snivelling
pinkos like you and there is nothing you can do about it. Period.
Prof. Lessig has not done enough research. His licences have some sort
of value in the world of Academia, where a creator’s sole aim is to
distribute his ideas as widely as possible without any money changing
hands. For the world of music they are a pointless and damaging
distraction which undermine the concept of copyright and create huge
difficulties for music writers now and in the future. Worst of all,
they play into the hands of the big Telcos and ISPs who are all too
happy to give away our music when they can.
David Ferguson is chairman of the British Academy of Songwriters and
Composers
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