BUMA/STEMRA: Say Yes to Creative Commons Licences

Dutch performing and author’s rights organisation BUMA/STEMRA has announced a one year experiment, which will give its members the chance to make parts of their work available under Creative Commons Licences. This is effectively a world premiere, as all comparable organisations up to now did not allow composers access to this open and non-commercial market. The results of the policy were anything but pleasant: Right owners either had to forsake this promotion tool altogether or – one of the absurdities of the current regime – pay up to use their own music online. Netlabels such as Thinner, meanwhile, saw their back catalogue dwindle as more and more of previously Creative Commons Licence-artists turned towards professional author’s right organisations in later stages of their career – thus making it impossible to keep offering their older content for free. The BUMA/STEMRA experiment will now effectively test, whether a gradual easing of the policy will be of value to members. Best of all, getting started is extremely easy.

The entire BUMA/STEMRA test phase can be enjoyed using online tools. After registering his works, a BUMA/STEMRA member can indicate online, which of his compositions he wants to be treated in the regular commercial way. For these tracks, the organisation will continue to collect the appropriate fees. For all other works, however, he can choose between three different Creative Commons Licence Models, ranging from extremely liberal (others can use a work for any kind of non-commercial purposes – including changing the music as they please - if they mention the original author) to highly restricted (pieces may not be changed and need to be distributed under the same licence only).

On the one hand, BUMA/STEMRA is hereby reacting to concrete demand from their core users, looking for "possibilities to offer tailor made options for the members to cope with technological developments". On the other hand, the project is a direct result of a change in perspective. BUMA/STEMRA is no longer treating listeners, licencees and buyers as the enemy, but as customers. And for these very customers, the dual market of commercial and Creative Commons Licences has plenty of advantages on offer.

Sound files for the year 2008 need to be uploaded to the server of BUMA/STEMRA until March 15th of next year.

Homepage: BUMA/STEMRA

Tags: netherlands, trends

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