COMM 203 - Creative Commons

Creative Commons is something I have a lot to say about. Here we go.

Let me preface with some shameful self-promotion. I am a Creative Commons artist. My album, Whores In My Head was released in the CC this weekend. Obviously I have some faith in the system here.

Now let me do some autobiographical rambling that will seem to be a non-sequitur until you get to the end. The only real concert I've ever been to was a folk music show, which is odd for a punk fan to say, but follow me on this. The show was Arlo Guthrie. Arlo's father was Woody Guthrie, who has often been called a communist sympathizer. Why? The words that accompanied the copyright of every song he wrote.

"This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don't give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that's all we wanted to do."

If you're versed in modern society, and in what Creative Commons means, you'll recognize that what Woody said to make himself seem communist is totally exactly what Creative Commons and GPL are.

More like Creative COMRADES!

The thing is: this works. Sharing and public ownership are GOOD when it comes to creative endeavors. Which makes sense, because that's how it's always been. Guthrie was called a communist because it was a popular thing to call people at the time, but the truth is, all of folklore and folksong come from the idea of a commons.

House Of The Rising Sun was written over many decades by many people, working and adapting the song until it was nearly perfect. Bob Dylan recorded a version of it, and he had the decency to only copyright the performance. The Byrds covered Dylan's version, and they copyrighted the arrangement. So now if you play the very public domain song House Of The Rising Sun, you better not happen to choose the same key and tempo as The Byrds, or you're violating copyright.

So, in a capitalist society, there will be people who game the system and try to ruin public ownership for everyone (see also "tivoization"), but all in all, the common property system seems to work in creative ventures.

"So, why didn't it work in Russia, Mr. Red Angus?"

Well, there's a difference between sharing songs, which are infinite and dynamic, and turnips, which are finite and bland. People are willing to share culture because it's only cost is time, and the time you spend sharing it is time you spend enjoying it. As annoyed as I was with the endless parodies of Gangnam Style, I recognize that people actually enjoy adapting and sharing that culture. However, when it's turnips or starvation, you bitches ain't gettin my turnips.

COMMrades, I bleed community. So long as the artist is respected, their work should be adapted. If you followed the link to my album above, you'll notice it lacks drums and bass guitar. If someone adds those elements, will I be mad? HELL NO. I'll be ecstatic that someone loved my work enough to improve it. If you download it, it belongs to you just as much as it belongs to me, and it's your duty to enjoy your property in any way you see fit.