Abstract

The amount of legally free music for personal use is steadily growing online.  Much of the content is licensed using Creative Commons.  This offers wide distribution for personal use and exposure for artists, but fails to provide a clear model for commercial use.  Many artists are still unaware of the possibility to license their music. 

Traditional licensing services offer content with confusing and variable pricing, and take a large percentage of the profits.  Online collaboration services for musicians are also increasing, but offer no way for artists to make a profit from their collaborative work.

PodPerfect  provides solutions to customers wishing to license quality independent music by allowing artists to connect with them in an innovative online atmosphere.  Quality of Music, Fair Payment to the Artists, and Efficient/Affordable Licensing to clients is the basis for the PodPerfect range of services.

Idea

PodPerfect will provide commercial opportunities to musicians that offer their music under a creative commons license.  Collaborative music communities will also benefit from the services of PodPerfect, by allowing each contributor to assign percentage of ownership to finished works.  Film and TV companies needing music for their productions can efficiently license music from the catalog of PodPerfect artists directly online, with clear and affordable price points.

Goal & Users' Benefit

PodPerfect aims to bridge the gap between artists providing music for free download under a creative commons license with commercial use opportunities.

The PodPerfect service will be free for the artist. Commercial entities like Film/TV companies and music supervisors will be able to provide opportunity listings for artists to submit music to.  Clients wishing to license music will be able to do so with clear and efficient licensing mechanisms.

Co-writers and collaborators of content will also be able to easily assign the proper percentage of ownership to their finished work. For example two contributing artists may agree that each of their work is worth 50% of the total, or perhaps 75/25.  This will enable clear contract agreements between two or more owners of a single work.  Artists will be paid according to their percentage of ownership.  PodPerfect will only retain a maximum of 20% profit from the sale of licensed material.  This is far less than a traditional publishing agreement.  Artists will also keep all of their rights under a non-exclusive contract and will receive all royalties resulting from any commercial placement.

Fans will be able to download the music for free and rate the artists' content. 
Users can then use the music according to the terms and conditions (usually some form of a creative commons license), but may not use it for commercial use.

Method

PodPerfect will operate as a web service for musicians and commercial entities.  In order to attract clients, a high level of quality music can easily be searched and made  available for quick purchase and licensing.  This will be achieved by offering a number of filtration mechanisms, including a community reviewed ratings system, and critics picks.  The rating feature will provide one form of quality assurance for clients wishing to license the content.

Content to be licensed will be based on limited standard price points.  The traditional pricing for music content varies dramatically depending on the clients budget.  PodPerfect will provide clear pricing strategies that enables a very efficient transaction.  Clients with different budgets can expect to pay one set price for a particular use.

PodPerfect will take advantage of social networking technologies and offer the artists' music for free as downloadable podcasts and songs.

Business Potential & Timing

The PodPerfect project is designed to develop into a full business model.
A working prototype is slated to be available by September 2008.
This prototype will offer the efficient licensing services for clients and artists described above.  Future services will include a licensing widget to be embedded into personal web sites and popular social networking sites like facebook.

Market

CCmixter

YouLicense

Istockphoto

Author

Joe Benso,