The idea of open content is picking up serious steam now that basic production software comes with every new laptop and video cameras fit in pockets. Wikipedia and Creative Commons were born of the idea that given access, everyone has something viable to contribute.
Musicians are increasingly aware of the power of their fans–whether bands are asking fans for remixes or fans are taking the reins to produce new material, the trend is snowballing.
In true open content form, Radiohead fans in Prague pooled footage from a show and edited it down into a two-hour documentary. Once the band caught wind, they donated high-quality audio from the performance to complete the soundtrack. Curious? Download it here. When it comes to video content, the Beastie Boys kicked things off way back in 2004 with crowdsourced concert footage, resulting in Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That!
The latest band to crowdsource is Metric, who are hosting a remix contest of their album Fantasies. Remixers download wav files from Indaba, and the band will select the best remixes, each winner scoring $1000. The Creators Project (the peeps behind Vice and Intel) took it a step further at events held earlier this year, where producers teamed up with the audience to create tracks live on the spot.
Uncensored has long supported open content for creative purposes–we even offer our own video interviews via Creative Commons. Here some of our artists sound off on the functionality of open content and what it means for the future of music.
TOPICS: Trendspotting