Dear Linuxers friends, Do you think this would work? Do I need to sharpen some issues below? Your suggestions are welcome. Apologies for an off-topic post, but I'm keen to expand this thinking to other spheres. Anyone wanting a copy of my 'copyleft' photos is free to request a copy of the same. FN

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Dear musicians from Goa:

This is a dream: to create a bank of 'open source' MP3 music from Goa, and by Goan musicians worldwide... that could be shared among music enthusiasts freely across the globe through the Internet.

If you share this dream, or think it could be workable, read on...

How would it help those volunteering to share their skills?

Firstly, it would build awareness about the depth and variety of Goan music that has evolved over the centuries and continues to evolve. Secondly, it would showcase the talent and skills of musicians linked to Goa. Thirdly, and importantly, it would increase the amount of publicly-accessible music from Goa that can be shared legally and reproduced freely among all who appreciate music from Goa.

Who would 'control' the collection?

Nobody. It would be available to one and all via the Internet. Probably the various Goa-related sites would find it in their interest to reproduce this music, and make it downloadable -- after duly giving credit to the artists who created the music. (Rights remain with the artist, even under CopyLeft terms, though reproduction is made freely allowable.)

What form of music would be welcome?

Anythink that would interest the listener. Past, present, Western, Indian, classical, pop, vocals, instrumental, Konkani, English, Hindi, Portuguese, Italian (yes, Goans have sung in this language), trance... or whatever.

Would I lose control over the music created?

There are various forms of 'open' licences (different from the restrictive copyright forms of licensing, which seldom benefits the artist but is mostly used as a controlling tool by some corporation with financial clout) being debated on the Net. These apply to software, music, text, audio, creative works and a lot else. You are free to choose any form of license that suits you. If we could agree (might be difficult), a common form of licensing could be opted for.

Would this work?

Let me share an experience. I've already put out about 2000 of my photographs of Goa in the 'copyleft' world, and have not for a moment regretted it. Rather than just lying around on my hard-disk (and then getting lost in some hard-disk crash), these photographs have reached websites and desktops across the globe, and have surfaced at the most unexpected places. Non-commercial reproduction is free, though I appreciate being told where it is used.

Such an approach earns attention to one's creative work. Not just that, sharing actually makes the world a better place. At a very selfish level, it sometimes also brings in potential for more work for a freelance journalist. Feedback often stimulates one's own creativity. In the rare eventuality of anything going wrong, one is at the very least assured that creating another 2000 photographs in a scenic place like Goa would not be an immensely difficult task. Musicians unsure about whether this would work at all could venture by putting out a limited quantity of their work (even if only one or two creations) and check the response and suitability. Above all, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

In fact, I am also planning to put out an archive of much of my earlier writing in the 'CopyLeft' world -- freely reproduceable for non-commercial purposes, while retaining the rights. The main reason this has got delayed is the shortage of time to assemble all this work in a well-sorted manner.

Would this not be counter-productive to the artistes?

Contrary to intuitive-thinking, this would not depress the 'market' of Goan music, but on the contrary could actually extend and deepen it. Just because there are free/low-priced MP3s floating around on the Internet, it does not necessarily mean that people are going to be less willing to 'pay' to listen to Goan music in future. On the contrary, it could enhance awareness about musical talent in Goa, and deepen appreciation of the same. In much of my work, I have gained (even if seen purely in commercial terms) much much more from putting my work out in 'open/free content' format, rather than stashing it away on some obscure corner of my hard-disk.

In the software world, the GNU/Linux Free Software/Open Source system works in other creative ways too. For instance, commercial firms are allowed to repackage and 'sell' (at a low cost, naturally, since anyone could copy this product) to users, charging for the cost they've incurred at packaging and marketing the material, plus overheads.

What this means is that, on the one hand it would give small firms a chance to earn from this format of marketing, on the other it would also encourage musicians to gain a much wider audience, and fans to get access to MP3-based Goan music at a much lower cost.

There is also the possibility of musicians putting out part of their work in 'open content' and the rest marketed through usual channels, thus allowing one to act as a stimuli for building interest in their form of music.

It looks like a win-win-win game... if only we have enough initiatives to get started and build momentum.

If you think this is an interesting idea, please let's take it forward. When I hear the Delhi-based M Menezes' soulful rendering of Hindi film hits on the piano, I wonder why no one has yet managed to do the same for the popular Goan music of past decades... when we have so much talent all around.... and guitar guilds or groups putting up much-appreciated regular performaces at regular intervals now.

Frederick Noronha, Goa... on a rain August Sunday afternoon.

PS: See the note below...

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OPEN PUBLICATION LICENCES, A NEW LICENSE: A new public license -- the Open Publication License -- promises to bring the power of the open-source software movement to video, audio, and text while still preserving authors' rights to profit from the calluses of their creative hands. http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/20276.html ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++