Digital Copyright Canada

Check out an article about Fading Ways joining Jamendo.

Jamendo is a community of free, legal and unlimited music published with Creative Commons licenses.

This Chart Attack article includes:

Two years ago, Fading Ways Records president Neil Leyton took an interest in Charmer's music and came to him with a novel idea: release an album that can be legally manipulated and traded by the public.

Charmer bit and, in 2004, Red Orkestra's After The Wars became the first internationally distributed CD to be released under a Creative Commons license — a classification that enables the lawful reuse and sharing of cultural works.

This article on the EFF site includes:

And after years of pushing for improved compatibility with DRM formats, the record labels have witnessed more, not less, balkanization of music services and devices. If the record labels really care about making sure their customers can play music on the devices of their choice, the only solution that plays-for-sure is an open, unencrypted format like MP3.

Don't wait for the old-economy major labels to catch up: buy unencrypted music from independent labels today!

Jon Newton has posted links to pictures, audio and video from the Freedom of Speech benefit concert August 5th.

As someone who spends quite a bit of time fighting to protect human rights, I agree with Jon Newton's lyrics that says, "Saying what you want to is the mother of all rights". Without the right to freely talk about what is happening in the world, without having lawsuits and other intervention discouraging legitimate speech, we cannot protect any other human rights. I wrote about this in my 2003 submission to the Canadian government on Copyright, and spoke about this at the events preceding the benefit concert.

Independant label Fading Ways Music, the first label to use Creative Commons licenses on their mechanical CDs, has released the latest of their Share Sampler CD's.

Share volume 6 includes:

1. Neil Leyton- Hyperventilating
   
2. Red Orkestra- Radio Towers
   
3. Michael Lundin- Sweet Rock n Roll
   
4. Turku Romantic Movement- Animals
   
5. Red Light Rippers- Trailer Trash Trixie
   
6. The Sinisters- Mister Disaster
   

An article by Jon Newton describes the current state of the lawsuit as well as the following:

Now Canadian indie musician, Fading Ways Records founder and activist Neil Leyton is both writing a Dylanesque song about p2pnet's troubles with Sharman and Hemming, and organizing a benefit concert in Toronto, probably for around August.

See also: p2pnet libel case appeal which contains details on donations.

In this ITBusiness article, Dave Webb asks us to "Guess which one of Thursday night's copyright parties I got invited to".

So when the Big Entertainment lobby sponsored a $250-a-plate fundraiser for Toronto’s industry-friendly Parkdale-High Park MP Sarmite "Sam" Bulte on the eve of a federal election – at uber-hip indie music hotspot The Drake Hotel, no less – the copyright progressives at Online Rights Canada had to respond in kind. And with a flawless sense of irony, they chose another room in the same building on the same night.

See also: Fading Ways Forum: Politics, CRIA buying politicians, and what we can do...

I am a Canadian software and non-software author in very good company, according to Mr. Geist's BLOG

I think it is important to consider the reference to pro-user zealots. I suspect that Ms. Bulte thinks she is talking about little more than a few file sharers who want access to music that, depending on your perspective, is either free or paid for by the private copying levy. This is where she is simply wrong. I obviously don't think those concerned with balanced copyright are zealots, but I know that when she uses this characterization, she is calling the nine justices of the Supreme Court of Canada zealots. She is calling Canadian artists such as Jane Siberry, Matthew Good, Barenaked Ladies, Bob Wiseman (formerly of Blue Rodeo), Charlie Angus, and Neil Leyton zealots. She is calling the provincial ministers of education zealots. She is calling publishers such as Irwin Law and the 19 professors who contributed to In the Public Interest zealots. She is calling historians such as Jack Granatstein a zealot. She is calling the thousands of Canadians who have contributed to Creative Commons Canada zealots. She is calling the hundreds of bloggers and thousands of Internet users who have become engaged on this issue zealots. Indeed, judging by the video, she is calling many of her constituents zealots.

I was in Toronto for the last few days, which is why my part of this BLOG has been more quiet than normal. Fortunately Canadian creators and audiences have continued to hold Sam Bulte and the Liberals feet to the fire on their lack of balance or ethics on critical cultural, Internet and technology law policy. (See Canadian Science Fiction author Cory Doctorow's note about the Candidates Debate the day earlier)

This issue was also included in the online version of Eye Weekly for January 12, 2006 (Look for "By the industry, for the industry").

This article by Loaf from the band The Pariahs includes:

Old-school record companies are being squeezed by two factors, both caused by digital technology.

It used to be that unless you were independently wealthy, you needed a record deal to make a professional quality recording. This is no longer the case.

It used to be that you needed major label clout to make your music widely available -this is no longer the case either.