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LegalTorrents Offers CC Works Via BitTorrent
An anonymous reader writes "A site called LegalTorrents has just launched that hosts trackers and seeds for digital media licensed under the Creative Commons license. ('We distribute content with the full permission of the rights holders and use the peer-2-peer file-sharing technology called Bittorrent.') The site even provides a way to donate money to artists you like. (LegalTorrents takes 15% off the top unless you are a member, which costs $50 one-time during the beta period.)" It's always good to see "legitimate" content distributed in ways that make it hard to demonize the distribution system itself — something Lawrence Lessig in particular has been doing for years, and his book "Free Culture" is one of the audiobooks available through LegalTorrents. Note that LegalTorrents has been around for a while now, rather than "just launched," but the current beta period won't last forever.
Which is true of both CC and legit stuff, BTW :)
In all seriousness, does anyone know what percentage of traditionally produced IP is even watchable? I don't even buy cable anymore because the pickings were so slim... and don't even get me started on radio.
I'll be the first to admit that most of the CC stuff that I've downloaded is pretty shitty, but I've found some songs (and one Star Trek spoof from Europe) that are keepers.
W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
But so does every other torrent site. So does Last.fm and other Internet radio stations. It isn't unique to LegalTorrents. And I can bet you that more people will use TPB then LegalTorrents even to get CC licensed works.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
We released our album Politics Apocalypse online recently, including on LegalTorrents. It is available free to download. Licensed with the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. This licence lets you use this music for commercial products or make remixes or other derivative works, so long as you give credit to the original artists. Politics Apocalypse is political and subversive post-industrial rock with an interesting mix of classical instruments, guitars, electronic beats, and a small dash of aussie hip-hop. You can download the whole 11 track album at no cost at our website. We are also doing a name your own price CD (starting at cost price). http://www.politicsapocalypse.com/
If it becomes popular enough?
Currently:
LegalTorrents - about 70 files
ThePirateBay - about 1.2 million files
How popular do you think they will become while most people continue straight down the street to the all-you-can-eat-for-free next door?
Slashdot: where don knuth is an idiot because he cant grasp the awesome power of php
"The name of the tracker indirectly spreads the notion that other torrents are inherently less legal"
What about the name of the piratebay? does name of the piratebay indirectly spreads the notion that other torrents are inherently less piraty?
The Pirate Bay's case is more a matter of not being beaten down by epithets. If they call downloaders pirates, then the downloaders wear the name pirate with pride, and take the power away from the word, draining away negative connotations and whatnot.
It's the same method as homosexuals have used on 'fag' and black people on 'nigger'.
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
As a big B-movie fan there ought to be a mention of publicdomaintorrents.com.
This used to be a free service up until at least August 12, 2007: http://web.archive.org/web/20070812051918rn_1/www.legaltorrents.com/index.htm
Why would anyone use this when archive.org (and etree) allows you to upload music for free in flac,shn,mp3,and ogg? Nine Inch Nails is up on archive.org:
http://www.archive.org/details/nineinchnails_ghosts_I_IV
http://www.archive.org/details/nine_inch_nails_the_slip
If archive.org can host NIN's music without problems, they can certainly host less popular music. Use and donate to archive.org rather than this "beta" service.
How's this OffTopic? This is very relevant to the topic considering that this has happened once before.
I'd mod you back up if I had the points.
Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)