Various Artists - netBloc Vol. 35: Occupy Music (BSCOMP0035, 2011)

As the internet has increasingly become part of all our lives, an intellectual shift has been occurring. As this shift progresses, more of us are seeing the need for less limitations in many areas. In the early years of this shift, an “open-source” software movement took hold and hasn’t abated. Further along, this idea of “open” content expanded to all types of media — visual, sonic, textual… you name it… Creative Commons licensing filled the need and continues to grow in popularity and use.

When you think about it, it really isn’t a stretch to think that this idea of “open” would move into the real world… into our everyday lives on profound levels. Wikileaks is an example of how “open” can deeply affect the world. It seems that the more we move toward open information/content, the more violent the opposition is. The Occupy movement is seeing this play out right now with a coordinated effort by militarized police forces in major cities throughout the country.

So how does the Occupy movement relate to the “open” movement? Well, is this idea of “open” really new? No… it’s a new form of an old idea. It’s what American democracy was supposedly based on… an open government… a government for the people… by the people. The idea of Public Domain is not a new one. This idea of “open” has got the world thinking about their governments and how open they really are. Inequality is at the heart of why the Occupy movement is occurring… it’s also at the heart of institutions, corporations and government which function closed or in secret as their modus operandi. The same inequality that spawned the Occupy movement is what spawned the need for “open” content. When music is released with a copyleft license that allows for sharing and sometimes even derivatives, that is a political action, whether the artist or label thinks it is or not. When artists and labels release Creative Commons/copyleft music, they are “Occupying Music”. They are choosing to side with independence and fostering true creativity. What some people get hung up on with the open movement is the idea that it’s FREE vs. COMMERCIAL… those aren’t the sides… the sides are BIG BUSINESS CONTROL vs. INDIVIDUAL CONTROL. At least that’s how I see things.

Thanks once again for downloading and listening! We’ve got a selection of 13 tracks from the world of netaudio. Two of them are previews of 2012 blocSonic releases. I hope you enjoy this carefully crafted selection! Remember… everything we release is cool to share! Always keep the music moving… share it… blog it… podcast it! If you’re in radio… support independent music and broadcast it!