DRM done Right....

[KingBahamut]

Magnatune has the right idea and we love their motto: "We Are Not Evil". They are a real record label but they give away 128 kbps mp3s of all their artist's songs for free. If you like what you hear you can purchase higher quality DRM-free FLAC, Mp3, OGG, AAC, WAV versions at a price you set! If you don't, you can always keep, share or delete your legally downloaded 128 kbps mp3, your choice. They are sharing profits 50/50 with their signed artists and they allow consumers to share their purchased songs with 3 friends. What sets them apart from other "free music" web sites is that they actually sign artists that are able to produce high quality music and are serious about their work (rather than just being a random mp3 hosting site). Also, artists keep all of their work's rights.

External links
http://magnatune.com/
http://magnatune.com/info/whynotevil

This is just plain cool.

[maniacmusician]

thats awesome! the music industry really needs something like this. my band is probably not even close to being talented enough for them to scout, so we'll have to continue saving money and employ the DIY mentality, but for the bands on that label, it must be great. They seem very artist-conscious and aren't stealing away their money. contrary to the beliefs of the recording industry, this is what artists really want too. nice post, thanks.

edit: automated licensing! http://magnatune.com/info/license how cool is that lol?
http://magnatune.com/info/give <-- that page is nice too. especially


Aren't you worried I'll abuse this?
No, because you've always had the capability to copy anything you bought from Magnatune: we don't believe in copy protection and we think you're honest, otherwise you wouldn't be bothering to read this!
Dishonest people can always abuse the system. Rather, we want to reward all the honest people who truly want to do the right thing.
If you abuse our generosity, we're not going to break down your door and throw you in jail. We just want you to feel a little guilty about it <grin>.
We're trusting you to do the right thing, and introduce new people to the music you love.

You'll feel good about it, your friends will thank you, and you'll help Magnatune prosper.

[PapaWiskas]

my band is probably not even close to being talented enough for them to scout, so we'll have to continue saving money and employ the DIY mentality

you have a website maniacmusician, I live in the Omaha Nebraska area which is known for its ability to draw in diverse independent bands...the music scene here is really good and growing, kind of like how Seattle did back in the day...

[justin whitaker]

JaK attack was using Magatune for their podcasts a while back...lots of good stuff in there. I like these hybrid efforts, seems like a more reasonable way of allowing artists to keep their rights, while getting them exposure.

[Iandefor]

"DRM Done Right" seems to be "DRM Not At All" here :-P.

[der_joachim]

Here is another DRM free web shop: Bleep (http://www.bleep.com/).

[MKR.]

This is the first time a legal online music service has compelled me to spend money.

[maniacmusician]

you have a website maniacmusician, I live in the Omaha Nebraska area which is known for its ability to draw in diverse independent bands...the music scene here is really good and growing, kind of like how Seattle did back in the day...

mm, sadly we dont at the moment. the thing is, i'm pretty much the driving force behind our effort. my friends dont have as much faith as I do, and without the promise of a career, they're not ready to invest as much time in it as me. they love playing, but they have to live too. we've been slowly gathering money for the past few months. we're going to upgrade our equipment, find a reasonable means to get some good recording done, and then work on a website and promotion. it's tough stuff. music equipment costs a fortune, as i'm sure you know, and i have other expenses too. i know it will happen though, if i keep at it.

but tell me more about your music scene; is it small, or is it growing quickly? see, the more bands there are, the more competition as well. I was planning on using the internet as our main means of promoting ourselves and then touring locally to build up support as well. ohama nebraska is pretty far away lol. I live in rural/suburban connecticut where the music scene is mildly populated, so I know i could build support here once i get some money in my pockets and better equipment.

[gnomeuser]

I've been a big fan of CDbaby.com for ages, they also share 50/50 with their artists, their CDs are never using copy protection and they are super friendly to boot.

They also allow you to stream pretty much every song in their catalog (limited to 2 mins per song though, but enough to sample and it's high quality).