Northern Star on Ultrastar Deluxe

This is the perfect example of why I release my music under a Creative Commons license. They even have a link to my Jamendo album on their front page. Sweet.

Ubuntu Studio open source Linux-based audio production

I’m a huge fan of open software and free ideas. Ever since Windows XP launched, with its authorization schemes, I’ve been on a migration path away from Microsoft. And yet, while I use a Mac laptop and Linux on my desktop for web development, I still use Windows XP along with Cakewalk SONAR for all of my recording and sound design.

There are two primary reasons I have persisted in the proprietary world of Windows and Cakewalk. The first reason is that I have invested in a lot of Windows-only hardware. And the second reason is that open source audio tools have lagged behind their proprietary counterparts in terms of features and friendliness. But those reasons no longer suffice.

This week, when Ubuntu 7.04 launches, it will have a companion, known as Ubuntu Studio. Ubuntu Studio is a community-produced collection of repository packages, audio tools and plugins that provide a comprehensive audio and video production environment. And it is my path to a fully open source music studio.

To learn the ropes in this new system, I will be recording my next album, called “The Open Album.” I’m still working out the licensing, but I think it will be something similar to the GPL.

Here’s the scoop: All tracks, plugins, and project files will be released along with the album. Other musicians will be free (and encouraged) to remix, premix, and otherwise tweak the music, provided they release all their source material, which will require that no proprietary software be used.

I’m excited to get started, but it will probably be a few weeks before I get familiar enough with the software to post anything resembling an alpha release of any of the songs.

Once the album is finished, it will be published at Jamendo, and all source materials will be released at TheOpenAlbum.com (currently redirecting to this site).

What do you think? Do the principles of software apply to music? Is it brilliant, or stupid? Intuitive or unworkable? We shall find out.

Apple TV latest info on Engadget

According to Apple’s marketing campaign, if it’s on iTunes, it’s on the Apple TV. That may be true for Apple’s early adopters who plopped down $299 for the privilege of porting their media from their computer to their television. But it wasn’t true for Apple’s Global Sales Training Department, which frantically contacted me about a month ago, seeking to use my music for the launch of their Apple TV Sales Training DVD.

It seems that the training department and the marketing department had gotten their schedules mixed up. The training DVDs were ready to ship, but the demo content had not been cleared for such a use, so Apple staff turned to the internets, searching for unsigned artists with open licenses on their music, who would consent to being included on the training DVD. Apple found my music on Jamendo. I’m assuming I’m not the only Jamendo artist they contacted that day.

My music happens to be available through iTunes. But it was not iTunes which brought me to Apple’s attention. It was Jamendo. A small, French, Bittorrent-based, Creative Commons licensed music community.

I was told that my music was a good fit for the project, and asked to participate. I promptly and politely replied, asking how many DVDs would be distributed and whether I could receive a copy. But they never responded.

Not including poor communication skills, I came up with a couple of theories why I never heard back from Apple:

1. At the final hour, the marketing department got their act together
2. My requests indicated that I was wary of contributing, and too much hassle to deal with.
3. Apple did include my music, without my permission, and without informing me that they would actually do so, beyond an initial inquiry.

So I’d love to know. Who else heard from Apple on February 14th? And does anyone out there have the Apple TV Training DVD? Because I’d love to see it, or at least know what music ended up on the disc.

But whether or not I ever hear anything more about the Training DVD, this amusing episode gave me some additional insight into Apple and their media empire. Exactly one week before, Steve Jobs posted his Thoughts on Music wherein he, disingenuously, I believe, claimed that he was opposed to DRM. Apple, it seems is aware of all the alternative sources for music out there. And we’re not just talking Zune. We’re talking Jamendo, Magnatune and all of the other Creative Commons and public domain artists.

It also suggests that copyright and DRM are serious impediments, not only to consumers and artists, but to the very businesses which are built on proprietary software and strict intellectual property controls. And because of this, those of us who create and support open licenses stand to benefit — not just artistically, but perhaps financially as well.