John Buckman-Magnitune

John Buckman created Magnitune in 2003; to create a way for musicians to get their music out. This method allowed the musicians free marketing, if they allowed others to use their music without making a profit. Most music labels would charge a musician $5-10,000 per year and would not guarantee that the Cd would even be distributed to the public. And if you could not guarantee that the Cd would sell 2000 to 7000 Cd's they would not even sign you. Buckman was considered the poster boy of music revolution. He accepts about 400 Cd's per month to look over. Out of these he usually picks only 10 to put on the Internet. He only uses classical, world, new age, thrash or speed metal for examples. He will never use any music that you can come by on the traditional FM radio station. His whole ideal is to get the musicians that would never be listened too, put out there so they can be heard. He believes that musicians should never give up their rights to their music. The major label industry makes $12 billion dollars a year from musicians; and the label owns the rights to the music. Magnitune also helps the "little guy" to make a little money. Buckman believes that the key to success is to look for the little guy and work together to make money. He believes that you will never succeed if you go up against the major labels. For example he has a license made for wedding DVDs. A wedding photographer is allowed to create Cd's with pictures from the wedding with music from Magnitune. This license allows the photographer to sell the Cd's to guests of the wedding and make a few dollars. I really like his ideals and how he is willing to stand up and defend users of his music if they are attacked by lawyers. He stated the he "likes helping sell stuff he believes in"; I think this is exactly what he does and he backs up his words.