The Free Music Movement: What’s in it for me?

 by Stephen Gower

 

When the words “free music” are spoken, no doubt what comes to mind for most people is pirating, or maybe the free track of the week from digital music stores. It’s not very surprising that few people know of “Jamendo,” a music service and community dedicated to providing free, legal music to anyone who wants it.

 

It is also part of a growing sub-culture in the music industry. Few musicians have gained as much from this community as Ottawa-based musician Brad Turcotte.

Turcotte is the mind behind the one-man band, Brad Sucks. Brad is at the forefront of the intriguing free music movement, and has been releasing his music for free since 2003. Brad is one of the most-downloaded artists on Jamendo.com, which boasts more than 200,000 tracks. What would ever compel someone to release their music for free? For Turcotte, it was almost a no-brainer.

“At the time when I started, MP3s were just getting popular. I had always wanted to [make] music, but the process of becoming a musician – tour endlessly, record labels, giant loans … – was too abstract. Making an audio file and getting it to people, that seemed doable.”

Of course, it’s never easy to get yourself signed to a record deal; it doesn’t just happen at the snap of your fingers. Usually you need to work and tour relentlessly before you even get noticed. In some cases, it doesn’t make much sense to put so much effort into something like that. For Brad, the end result of a record deal isn’t always the best thing either.

“I also kinda cringe at doing the usual marketing stuff,” he says. That in itself is also a challenge for the admittedly frugal musician; it’s difficult to get your name and music in the public consciousness with a limited budget.

Even so, Brad’s music has travelled the world. Since his first full-length release of I Don’t Know What I’m Doing in 2003, Brad has released his music under a less-restrictive copyright: a Creative Commons license. The types of Creative Commons licenses vary, but the music of Brad Sucks is released under a license that allows for people to download, distribute, and even re-mix a track – provided that his music is properly attributed and is released under the same conditions.

This has proved to be very beneficial for Brad, whose music is often the start of a very long and sometimes unusual creative chain.

“An Israeli band did a remix of my song Dirtbag which was popular in Israel. Then someone used that remix in a trailer mash-up of Toy Story 2 and Requiem for a Dream. Then a famous author named William Gibson saw that, enjoyed the song and found my stuff. And another remix helped inspire one of the characters in his book Spook Country. I like that kind of weirdness, it’s exciting and leads [to] strange places.”

Turcotte uses his website (www.bradsucks.net) to sell his music and merchandise, and enjoys the freedom of not having to deal with label reps or anyone interfering with his creative process. Despite the freedom to do what he likes – it is, as he says, his own money – Brad does admit that he has fewer resources. Given the alternative, however, it seems that Brad would still choose to be independent.

“When most people talk about music labels they’re talking about record deals – which at its core is just a big loan.
All loans come with strings attached.”

Turcotte is not the only musician to experience this sort of underground success. Artists such as Josh Woodward, Tryad, and Deus are all successful in their own right on Jamendo.com. Jamendo artists will likely never reach the same level of exposure in popular culture due to the overwhelming demand for music from the major labels, but it may still catch on as a solid alternative for those seeking new music on a limited budget.

Each track on Jamendo.com is free to download and share. Donations to the artists are always encouraged, but are never required. All songs are uploaded under various Creative Commons licenses, which usually allow users to redistribute songs under the same conditions. In some cases, you can even create your own creative work based on the music you download.

One of the advantages of the free music movement is the opportunity to create derivative works. While music labels are more freely able to push their music to the public, any kind of chain similar to the one Turcotte experienced is only possible by buying the creative rights to specific works. This is often complicated and can stall the creative process. With works licensed through Creative Commons, the creative process can be almost instantaneous.

The result is more original works of art. Even though the music on Jamendo is free, donations to the artists are frequently encouraged. Most people will actually donate money to the artists. Brad Turcotte is able to sell his music even though it’s available for free. Some major artists have also seen the benefit of providing their music for free as well. Radiohead released their 2007 digital album In Rainbows under a “pay what you want” format. According to a band spokesperson, a lot of people paid retail price for the album – even though they could have paid $0.00.

Providing the music for free in cases like these didn’t mean the artists did not make any money from their music. Consumers are still likely to support artists if they enjoy their music, even if they aren’t obligated. This method of distribution isn’t going to be too much of a challenge toward the music label giants, simply because there is definitely less money involved. However, the interest in the free music movement is growing rapidly.

With artists like Brad Turcotte, and many others, providing quality music for free, there are increasing alternatives to pirating or restrictive digital rights management. The music found free online isn’t likely to reach the Top 40 on the charts, but it is still quite good and often underestimated.