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One of the defining elements of the music industry over the past decade has been the relationship between the recording industry and digital distribution of music. When mp3 files first started being made available on the internet, record companies became understandably hostile to this: not only did this represent to them a theoretical loss of revenue, but it also represented a fundamental change to the traditional model of business. Economic theory dictates that with constant demand and increased supply, price should drop. Digital distribution means that, theoretically, the supply of music is virtually infinite. Equally theoretically, then, the price of such items should eventually approach zero.

Because of this initial antipathy, many in the music industry have been slow to adopt internet technology to their art. At the same time, however, a new breed of artist is emerging in the digital era that takes advantage of internet technology. Jonathan Coulton is an excellent example of this type of artist.

One of the defining aspects of Coulton's career has been the availability of his music over the internet. Coulton first rose to fame by offering his music for free download in an unencrypted, encryption-free format. Doing so allowed Coulton to expose his music to a wider audience without having to resort to more traditional outlets such as radio and television.

Another interesting aspect of Coulton's career has been his relationship to the Creative Commons license. Under the terms of the copyright license placed on his work, Coulton's fans have been encouraged to create videos, remixes, and other derivative works based on his songs. Doing this greatly reduces the need for promotional work on Coulton's part, as those derivative works are then placed on Youtube, blogs, and Myspace pages, where they can then attract and inspire an entirely new generation of fans.

An added benefit of these derivative works is that they help to foster a sense of community, something that Coulton further encourages through an active message board and frequent blogging. Coulton's fans are encouraged to form relationships both with him and with each other, something that makes it more likely that they will maintain an interest in him between artistic releases.

In his interactions with fans, novel thinking regarding promotions, and pro-active approach to the spread of his music on the internet, Jonathan Coulton has proved himself to be a true musical pioneer. Aspiring and even established artists alike could benefit greatly by using him as a model of how to successfully use the internet to promote their work.

Learn more about this author, Ryan Harron.
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