Creative Commonsense

One of our developers shared an article by Techdirt entitled The Future Of Music Business Models (And Those Who Are Already There) the other day. In a nutshell, it’s an interesting look at how professional musicians can embrace the creative commons model to promote their music, then cash in by offering exclusive products and services at elevated costs. Nothing new, but it demonstrates how it’s paid off well for both reputable acts such as kings of viral NIN, to lesser known acts such as Jill Sobule.

Instead of fighting the inevitable force that has become P2P sharing which usually ends up fueling frustration with fans and costly lawsuits, these musicians have taken tabs on the commercial open source business model. Test drive the shabby version for as long as you want, or pay up to get pimped out.

FLOSS                                                Flossin

Besides the fact that the article has way too many examples making it suitable for starving artists looking for inspiration, it demonstrates the creativity certain musicians have for marketing themselves all while embracing free sharing.

There is definitely a lesson to be learned from these musicians. Can B2C open source software be so successful in creating an innovative yet sustainable business model?

Looking forward to hearing your opinion on the subject…