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[Neeru Paharia <neeru AT creativecommons.org>]

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Attachment: CC_Fine_Art_Contest_Press.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document

CREATIVE COMMONS LAUNCHES “THE FINE ART OF SAMPLING” CONTEST In Association with Wired Magazine

Music Fans Encouraged to Sample The Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Danger Mouse, Le Tigre, My Morning Jacket, and Others to Win Spots on New CD!

SAN FRANCISCO, USA  January 4th, 2004  Over the past year, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has sued 5400 music fans for copyright infringement over file-sharing networks. But that hasn’t diminished the appeal of file-sharing services like BitTorrent, Limewire, Kazaa and Morpheus.  Is there a middle ground? Creative Commons and WIRED Magazine say yes!

Creative Commons (www.creativecommons.org) is the innovative nonprofit dedicated to expanding the range of creative and intellectual works that are free to share and build upon. It was founded by Lawrence Lessig, a WIRED columnist and Stanford Law School professor, and one of the nation’s leading experts on copyright law.

In November, WIRED Magazine distributed 750,000 copies of the first major compilation of Creative Commons licensed music -- music that fans are legally permitted to share online. “The Wired CD: Rip. Sample. Mash. Share” features tracks from the Beastie Boys, David Byrne, Zap Mama, My Morning Jacket, Spoon, Gilberto Gil, Dan the Automator, Thievery Corporation, Le Tigre, Paul Westerberg, Chuck D, The Rapture, Cornelius, Danger Mouse & Jemini, DJ Dolores and Matmos.  Audio streams of the tracks featured on the CD, along with WIRED’s cover story on Creative Commons can be found at http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.11/sample.html.

The Creative Commons licenses used by the musicians featured on “The Wired CD: Rip. Sample. Mash. Share” also allow fans to sample their songs in new compositions, creating the foundation for “THE FINE ART OF SAMPLING” contest, running now through February 12 at http://ccmixter.org/. The contest encourages music fans to download the original tracks featured on the WIRED CD, and to create new tracks for potential inclusion on one of two new CDs being released in 2005. 

There are two entry categories for “The Fine Art of Sampling” contest:

1) The Freestyle Mix Contest
Entrants in the Freestyle mix can select samples from any track on the WIRED CD (except the Fine Arts Militia track, see below). The top 11 entries in the Freestyle Mix will go on the Creative Commons release THE WIRED CD: Ripped. Sampled. Mashed. Shared., to be promoted at  M3: Miami Music & Multimedia, South by Southwest, the World Social Forum, Ready to Share, and the Creative Commons web site, among other places. Winners of this contest will also each be given a pair of passes to attend M3, where Lawrence Lessig will be delivering a keynote address on March 25. (For more info on M3, go to http://m3summit.com/).

2) The Militia Mix Contest

Entrants in the Militia Mix can use track 11 from the Wired CD, "No Meaning No," by Chuck D and the Fine Arts Militia, take samples from it, and combine them with their own creativity. The winning entry will be on the next Fine Arts Militia album, to be released in spring 2005.

All remaining eligible entrants will be entered in a random drawing to receive one of three copies of Adobe Audition software for PC (Approximate retail value: US$300).

The deadline for submitting entries to “The Fine Art of Sampling” contest is February 12, 2005. WIRED magazine’s music editors will serve as judges and select the winning tracks.

About Creative Commons

A nonprofit corporation founded in 2001, Creative Commons promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works, whether owned or in the public domain, by empowering authors and audiences. It is sustained by the generous support of the Center for the Public Domain, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Omidyar Network Fund, and the Hewlett Foundation. For general information, visit http://creativecommons.org.

About WIRED Magazine

WIRED is a monthly magazine that chronicles the people, companies, technologies, and ideas that are transforming the world around us.  Each month, WIRED delivers a glimpse into the future of business, science, entertainment, education, culture, and politics.

Contact

Neeru Paharia (San Francisco)
Assistant Director, Creative Commons
415.946.3068
neeru AT creativecommons.org

Press Kit

http://creativecommons.org/presskit/




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Neeru Paharia
Assistant Director
Creative Commons
543 Howard Street, 5th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94105

415.946.3068
http://creativecommons.org