Lawrence Lessig's book FREE CULTURE (How Big Media Uses technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity), available for download under a CCL. With links to other version (such as audio) as well.

== Free Culture / About ==

] Rock legends Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno plan to launch
] on Monday a musicians' union to help artists stand their
] ground in the digital age.
]
] The union will be called Mudda, short for "magnificent
] union of digitally downloading artists".
]
] "The digital environment will change the way music is
] made, and here artists need a voice", Peter Gabriel told
] BBC News Online at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
]
] In the age of digital downloads musicians and the music
] industry have had to find a way of giving consumers what
] they want while securing revenue streams.

BBC NEWS | Business | Gabriel to launch musicians' union

] Any digital content can easily be transformed into a sound
] file, or in technical copyright lingo, a "sound
] recording," which when fixed becomes a "phonorecord."
] Many compulsory license schemes only apply to "music" but
] since they don't define the term, or discuss changes in
] how audio works are categorized, one must assume that
] they are using the current definitions of "sound
] recording" and "phonorecord." Consequently, any creator
] of digital content can benefit from a music-only
] compulsory license scheme.

LawMeme - Compulsory Licensing - What is Music?

Has Apple devised a workable commercial alternative to file sharing networks?

Apple - Music - iTunes Music Store

Method of preventing reduction of sales amount of records due to digital music file illegally distributed through communication network

United States Patent Application: 0020082999

Late, but interesting...

"But members of the group, known as Gobbles Security, conceded that a program it released to demonstrate the problem was a Trojan horse capable of destroying files on the computers of unwary Unix users. "

Wired News: Hackers Humble Security Experts

"How pathetic that those who want free music don't believe in free speech," she said. "We are working together to get our site restored so that the press and the public can continue to get the information they want and need from the RIAA."

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Har!

Recording industry Web site again attacked

LOS ANGELES - Six retail record store chains hurting from competition from CD burning, online music and large discount stores are teaming to offer consumers digital music downloads in their stores and over the Internet.

The stores have formed a joint venture called Echo that will provide technology and allow them to offer individual tracks for downloading to portable devices and computers.

Yahoo! News - Retailers Form Digital Music Venture