6 A Sunday rant by Track y Birthday of upitup.com 5 It’s funny; the web has created it’s the most natural thing to is hit “save” on your laptop Yeah you’ve been reading all that you really More importantly, it’s >>Netla- infinite channels of expression, do. and upload to the cloud or about Creative Commons and want that track. not about the individual, never before has distributing i’ve wasted almost a third the tube. In other words, not there’s plenty of radio shows It’s likely to be it’s about the variety of music been so simple and of my life trying to earn recog- having to know people brings and TV features dedicated to louder than the content. So while the U cheap, and yet in 2011 the nition through our independent p bels will the risk of not being known “free” music, but I think that’s free track (or at individual netlabel might i underground feels more un- online label Upitup (“Up it by them back. Not having all baloney. For example, most least properly remain without glory t derground than ever. Maybe up!”), I’ve seen some of my to work your ass off for the netlabels don’t have the co- leveled), has it’s the total sum of u never gain those very circumstances, the favorite music getting released publishing of music brings the jones to really free their music, FAIL decent artwork netaudio that influences p . ready possibilities to produce, for free; and yet today most risk of laziness when it comes they release under a default CC and that little © our culture. My friend L c publish, promote, and also people still don’t give a shit to promoting it. “Attribution-NonCommercial- logo. It seems Dragan once told a o to consume music so easily about netaudio. Back in the of course free home com- ShareAlike 3.0” license, which official, it might me that 100 years FAIL d as much FAIL y m puter music prohibits the use of your work even be pro- from now nobody already existed for commercial purposes. What This is Roglok. He‘s a real peach: Upitup‘s founding father lives and moted on the will remember Lady Dragan Espenschied, founding mem- G before netlabels, could happen better than some he builds his own synthesizers, works in Rome, Italy. Besides being iTunes store or Gaga because she ber of the folk duo Bodenständig a relevance writes books about things like a vegetarian addicted to German 2000, composes music for sound purely organized yogurt commercial using your in your favorite (or her label) made g digital vintage or intellectual Maultaschen (FAIL!) Pierlo produ- chips found in vintage computers, a in archives; tune? They’ll never pay you to property, and makes great Acid ces one solid dance hit after the record shop. YouTube take down like the Commodore VIC20 or the sound. He just moved from London other, and calls it „Nerdstep“. The Atari ST. His compositions are tru- and es- also, there were use it; if they have a budget to somewhere in Germany and is video game industry should name You can find all her music. At ly poetic, and even if most of them 6 tracker labels they’ll get Gonzales’ new single hooking up his 303 inside his new an end boss after him because is real reviews most, people may are only 8-bit your heart gets 4 BORN TO releasing their “Hinein ins Weekend-Feeling”. studio as you read this… so tech-savvy. about it in real only find parodies warmed Quad Core. teem as BORN TO MOD files for They won’t pay money for upfree 10, Upfree 25 upfree 14, Upfree 19, UPFREE 36 magazines. It’s of her. What survives UPFREE 37 free—but simi- someone they can’t show off absurd; even in the end, however, is lar story, both with in the end (you). I might though they’re the stuff that can be found traditional required their be wrong but the most com- at it, take a photo of it, sit Netlabels are both mp3s one feels virtual most; as for example ancient to be crazy, like, replying to H audience over- mon YouTube comment (be- under it, without having to ask like hookers, and abundant while the other Sumerian inscriptions that emails might already be a o coming certain sides all the haters) seems to permission or attributing to the only cheaper. appears more real and valu- were cut in clay, because clay start. (Try getting a response o FAIL k obstacles like be “hey what’s the song called guy who planted it. Digital files the main difference be- able, almost scarce. Let’s not was widely used for every- from Daft Punk or even Dam- F record la- FAIL e r having to find a at 1:35?”—imagine that track are no scarce commodity, they tween a bought track and a even talk about music you thing. The stuff that was cut Funk… Ha!) r e plug-in to play was yours. are easily accessible and cop- giveaway track is its aura. The bought on vinyl… That, boys into gold was later melted and instead of spending e bels. Free are what made netlabels so 1980s and ‘90s, independent MOD files or even knowing plus, the Creative Com- ied and transformed infinitively netaudio track is “free”, as in and girls, is aura. down by somebody for a new their time finding ways around A insignificant, so standard? record (and cassette, and about all this, which again mons licenses are based on within the participatory culture “without value”, as in “worth- it’s the nature of online crown. Most online labels copyright with Creative Com- u When we started putting our CDR) labels may have had a lead to an advanced involve- the same concept as copyright, of the Internet. So does any- less”. It might feel like a flyer distribution and our percep- might be of worthless clay mons those smart lawyers r music music online for free download more tedious task publish- ment…. they only give you the option body know the name of the to a party or a promotional tion that destine netlabels today, but the future may care should search for a way to a in early 2003, it almost felt ing and distributing their thanks to the Internet, the to override certain restrictions user who first posted an image gift such as a pencil, and is to fail hopelessly trying to more about them than about finally abolish copyright per like doing something which music, but they were part P2P file sharing and Open of it. You can choose whether to the FAIL blog? Does anyone probably presented within an become popular on a large today’s superstars. They are se (and how it automatically will never wasn’t legal. Not illegal, some of a movement or at least a Source scenes later managed to allow people to share or re- care who started “play him environment where lots of scale. On the other hand, isn’t part of today’s digital folklore. sticks to your creations like a other kind of opposite. Back spirited scene that consisted to develop loyal communities mix or use your music (or any off, keyboard cat”, and if he amateur content can be found. that exactly what they intend: so instead of trying to piece of gum on your seat). W then, long before free web of likeminded enthusiasts, of since they are built upon a other content) for commercial allows you to remix? Can you Gifts can be the nicest thing in being the underdog? Yeah compare to traditional labels, at the end of the day e catch an 2.0 services like YouTube and collectors, fans and followers. culture of sharing, devotion, purposes, while still maintain- be considered the author when the world, but when they are maybe The Beatles would a netlabel should make use of releasing your music for free b Networking was more difficult and collective participation. In ing the Intellectual Property you follow some meme trend impersonal (not given specially have never become as popu- its advantages like its dedica- is something beneficial, like 2 Soundcloud and Facebook F grew popular (and unpopular without the social web and its contrast, the netaudio scene— rights over it. But if netlabels and create your own Kanye to you) and when you don’t lar if they had been released tion or its freedom. Missing giving a dollar to a bum. a audience again in case of Myspace), “like” buttons and re-tweets, if there ever was one—hasn’t were consequent they wouldn’t West joke image and upload know the donor they suddenly on a netlabel but you could aura? Pah! Why not make a You know you won’t abol- i giving away something for free but at the same time it was really established any kind of care about “Intellectual Prop- it somewhere? The truth turn fishy. All in all, it is like also argue a netlabel wouldn’t website for each individual re- ish poverty, but you make a l could almost be considered a more essential for the logistics cultural movement or common erty” and its clear definition hurts, but Intellectual Property a “free hookers” sign, not so release the same music as lease? Why maintain formats dude happy. That’s why after commer- political act. The landscape of of producing and distributing ideology to this day, simply of authorship. It’s called the doesn’t exist on the Internet. attractive unless you’re broke before if it was to suddenly like the album or one single 8 years I’ll keep releasing my the web consisted mostly of records, the forming or being because it never needed to. Internet: any twelve year-old It’s about how you get to the and very, very bored. The become uber-famous. And I cover artwork for multiple music for free on the web, and commercial services and paid part of a scene crucial. You re-blogs articles, “illegally” content and what you can do leading music magazines won’t think it’s important for our tracks? Screw standards and it doesn’t matter whether we cial music content, and so even though had to know somebody with If a netlabel downloads music, or remixes with it, not what its creator al- bother to write much about music culture to also pub- RSS feeds and Soundcloud ever become really popular. our music was super amateur a recording studio, you had releases a free YouTube videos—treating them lows you to do with it. It’s the free music. lish “unpopular” tracks, to players and slickness, show Hey but since you’ve already and mostly lo-fi (not to say to find out where other artists mp3 and no one as part of the Public Domain, realty not the royalties, baby! while on the other side break listening habits and to me how free you really are! read through all this crap you is able to shitty) we had a higher reputa- produced their vinyls, you had cares to hear it, available for anybody to do you pay for the commercial broaden our musical horizon. Fail with passion. Do every- might as well check us out :) tion than today. What we did to get in touch with a distribu- does it really anything with it. Like a tree in track on the iTunes Store or Amateur culture isn’t about thing commercial labels can’t reach.<< was special back then; today tor. Nowadays, all you gotta do release it? the landscape, you can look Beatport, actually deciding success, it’s about freedom! do. It doesn’t always have -> http://www.upitup.com/