If the p2p movement had a soundtrack, what would it be?
Perhaps more importantly how would that soundtrack be licensed? Since I attended Mutek Montreal last year, I’ve been listening to electronic music. Their magazine features some videos, but I need tracks I can play on my tablet at work.
I felt ecstatic when I stumbled onto Ektoplazm. When I saw the Creative Commons license I knew I’d use some of their tracks in a video I was making.
Ektoplazm offers a vast commons for psytrance fans (and filmmakers). But reading the blog reveals that keeping a commons alive isn’t easy for one person. Those of us who benefit really need to support the commons. We can offer value through services or even through tips.
Perhaps a commons based reciprocity licensing system is the way to go.
Extracted from http://www.ektoplazm.com/about
The Ektoplazm Web Site
Ektoplazm is a site devoted to psychedelic trance (psytrance), a distinct form of electronic dance music and a vibrant global counterculture. Founded in 2001 by Basilisk, Ektoplazm is now the world’s largest distributor of free (and legal) psytrance music specializing in high-quality Creative Commons-licensed content from netlabels and independent artists, all released in MP3 and lossless CD-quality FLAC and WAV formats. More than 50 million tracks have been downloaded by music lovers all over the planet.
In 2012 Ektoplazm successfully completed a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo to fund a massive redevelopment of the web site. Ektoplazm is currently in the midst of it’s metamorphosis; expect a fresh new look and feel as well as a dramatically improved service sometime soon.
The Ektoplazm Netlabel Group
Following the immense growth of the Ektoplazm distribution platform, DJ Basilisk established the Ektoplazm netlabel in 2008, aiming to promote unconventional talent with a professional approach to releasing free music in MP3, FLAC, and WAV format. The label has no defining sound; instead, it is dedicated to showcasing the range and diversity of the global psychedelic trance movement, always with an ear for quality. The Ektoplazm netlabel group now includes Drumlore (for techno) and Omnitropic (for downtempo).
Extracted from http://www.ektoplazm.com/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-ektoplazm
After digesting countless books and articles about free culture I relaunched Ektoplazm in 2006 with the intention of promoting free music licensed under the Creative Commons as aviable alternative to the traditional music distribution system in the psytrance scene. I meant to agitate for change, lead by example, and disrupt the status quo. I aimed to provide artists with another choice beyond conformity or obscurity: massive exposure, artistic freedom, and good karma. At first there wasn’t much of a response to the concept; no one—not even the free labels and artists—took free music seriously in those early days. “You get what you pay for” was a common refrain. To address this sentiment I became a tireless advocate for higher quality standards in free music. My vision: free releases every bit as good as what could be bought in stores. This called for high-resolution album artwork, lossless/CD-quality audio files, and proper mastering. Gradually this vision became a reality as more and more labels and artists came on board with the concept. Nowadays there are many examples of free albums that rival the quality of their commercial counterparts.
Ektoplazm fulfilled its primary mission to legitimize and popularize the distribution of free music in the psytrance scene sometime in 2010. Since then I’ve focused on adding more and more releases to the site to keep up with surging demand for new music—and for access to the platform. By now (summer 2012) Ektoplazm has served more than 6.7 million full releases and 30–35 million tracks to millions of listeners all around the planet. This is rather impressive given that Ektoplazm has catered to such an obscure niche market. To put this in perspective, Bandcamp, the most comparable distribution service for independent musicians of any genre, claims to have served up 34 million downloads to date.
Extracted from http://www.ektoplazm.com/blog/ektoplazm-update-winter-2016
Hello everyone! It has been a while since I posted my last update but, as always, there’s plenty going on behind the scenes here at Ektoplazm. 2015 was another great year and I ended up posting 296 new releases—down a bit from the previous year but still a huge amount of fresh music graciously donated by Ektoplazm’s label and artist partners. Another milestone was hit when we surpassed 17 million downloads—and that’s for whole releases! Multiply that figure by a conservative estimate of 8 tracks per release and you get something like 136 million tracks downloaded since 2007. Not bad for one guy with a blog and a lot of help from underground musicians keen to spread the vibe!
In other news I will be putting a temporary freeze on processing new release applications for the wintertime. I have to take some time away from managing the day-to-day affairs of the site for a little while. I will say more about this in the next update. Thank you for your patience and understanding!