Here is the email I just sent to Freeplay music. Who knows if it will have an impact, but it’s worth a shot.
Thank you so much for being willing to clarify these items for me. I am disappointed that I would have to pay to use FPM’s music for student projects. Part of the purpose of having students utilize web 2.0 technologies such as podcasting is to show them that there is a potential audience for their work. Their work will not have the same flair without music, but I as an educator cannot afford the license fee. In this day and age of focusing on standardized tests, it is unlikely that my school and/or district would be willing to pay, either.
I would almost say that students that learn about FPM would become potential customers once they leave the school environment and go on to be professionals in this twenty-first century workforce.
I have posted a sort of open call for FPM to reconsider its policy regarding student use of FPM music. I would posit that FPM could have a direct impact on the education of many students with a policy of permission in a given educational context.
You can read the posting here, and I am going to post the contents of this email I am sending you. Perhaps you request that some of the higher-ups take a gander at my posting?
http://www.crucialthought.com/2007/04/03/freeplaymusic-license/
Thanks for even considering it…
I hope they will consider relaxing the licensing for students in educational contexts. Seems logical to me! But that’s why I am not a CEO of any major corporation, right?!
Well, there’s always Magnatune. They’d be happy to have you use their music for podcasts–they say so themselves.
Magnatune: Podcast Our Music!
They even say they would do a phone or Skype interview; I think that could make for an interesting student podcast.
That’s why I don’t use freeplay, and went to free sound instead. It’s all creative commons licensed. Thanks for the magnatune link Christy, I’ll check it out.