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[Eric Steuer <eric AT creativecommons.org>]

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MAGNATUNE FOUNDER JOHN BUCKMAN JOINS CREATIVE COMMONS BOARD

San Francisco, CA, USA — November 16, 2006

Creative Commons today announced that Magnatune Records founder John  
Buckman has joined the organization’s board of directors.

Buckman’s appointment is a reflection of Creative Commons’ growing  
interest in commercial applications of CC’s licenses and principles.  
Buckman’s business — Magnatune Records — is an Internet-based record  
label that uses Creative Commons licensing to gain wider audiences  
for its music. Magnatune currently represents over 220 recording  
artists and released its 500th album in October 2006.

“I’m thrilled that Creative Commons has asked me to contribute at  
this level,” says Buckman. “Through Magnatune I’ve been trying to  
show how the commons can help businesses succeed in a commercial  
sense. I have a lot to say about how CC principles can be applied  
successfully to the for-profit world.”

“The next challenge for CC is to figure out how the sharing economy  
can complement a traditional commercial economy,” says Lawrence  
Lessig, Creative Commons’ CEO. “John’s expertise in this area will be  
hugely beneficial.”

Buckman also recently founded Bookmooch.com, an online community for  
exchanging used books. The site allows people to exchange their used  
books via post, and Buckman is currently working on ways to reward  
authors when their book is traded. If successful, Bookmooch will have  
the world’s first royalty system for used books.

Discussion of Buckman’s appointment to the Creative Commons board  
came on the heels of a recent visit to Tokyo for the New Context  
conference, where Buckman and Lessig met to discuss in depth how  
Creative Commons licensing models could be applied to commercial  
ventures.

About John Buckman and Magnatune John Buckman is founder and owner of  
Magnatune.com, a online record label he launched May of 2003 with the  
motto “We are not evil.” Since that time, he has signed over 220  
artists and sells their music directly from the Magnatune site  
through online downloads and print-on-demand CDs, as well as an  
innovative licensing tool that allows filmmakers and other creative  
professionals to license music for use in commercial projects  
directly from the Magnatune site. Known for his progressive take on  
label operations, Buckman emphasizes an anti-DRM stance and a  
musician-friendly approach that includes forming non-exclusive  
agreements with recording artists, sharing profits equally with them,  
and allowing them to retain full rights to their own music. Buckman  
is also a well-known figure in the open-source community and  
successfully applies both open source and Creative Commons-based  
principles to ensure the entire Magnatune catalog is heard by the  
widest possible audience. John divides his time between London and  
Berkeley, CA and is married to classical and electronic musician Jan  
Hanford Buckman. About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001,  
that promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works— 
whether owned or in the public domain. Creative Commons licences  
provide a flexible range of protections and freedoms for authors,  
artists, and educators that build upon the "all rights reserved"  
concept of traditional copyright to offer a voluntary "some rights  
reserved" approach. It is sustained by the generous support of  
various organizations including the John D. and Catherine T.  
MacArthur Foundation, Omidyar Network, the Hewlett Foundation, and  
the Rockefeller Foundation as well as members of the public. For  
general information, visit http://creativecommons.org

Contact

Shannon Coulter
Director of Artists & Repertoire, Magnatune
shannon AT magnatune.com
(415) 203-7151

Eric Steuer
Creative Director, Creative Commons
eric AT creativecommons.org

Press Kit

http://creativecommons.org/presskit