Matt Wengerd (104 Weeks blog) pointed out to me yesterday that AllAboutJazz.com was using the Contrabass Conversations logo on their site for a series on jazz bass players. Jacque Harper (Chicago Bass Ensemble) sent me the following screen shot to demonstrate the context in which it was being used:


Now, speaking as someone who spends an inordinate amount of time putting up quotes, photos, videos, and links to other people’s content (people in glass houses shouldn’t throw bricks!), I’ve got no problem with people using this image. After all, I have spent the better part of a year plastering it on websites, directories, t-shirts, coffee cups, and the like, so I am not exactly stingy when it comes to using this sort of thing.

I would, however, like people to think of Contrabass Conversations when they see this logo! All the original content I put out here and on the podcast falls under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.5 license. That means that you can use or remix anything you find here, but you just need to give attribution.

Also, the images and videos that I use here fall under a similar Creative Commons license. That’s why all of the photos in my stories and on the Bass Shot of the Day posts come from Flickr or Wikipedia, all of the videos come from YouTube. Both sites have Creative Commons/fair use guidelines for using content, and I try to only use content that falls under that umbrella.

The same is true for any recorded material in the podcast. I don’t ever use any RIAA music, only selecting independently songs that are sent to me by listeners (their original content) or music released by the Podsafe Music Network or the IODA Promonet under similar guidelines. If I forget or otherwise mess up the attribution, or there is some confusion regarding fair use and I post something to which the content creators object, I try to fix the attribution or else take it down.

This is a long-winded way of saying that I don’t mind people using photos, videos, and articles that I have created–in fact, I want people to use them. Just say where you got them from and give a little link love to the podcast or the blog!

Since this isn’t happening on AllAboutJazz.com, I decided to write them a little message. You can’t actually contact anyone on the website without becoming a member, so I had to do the registration dance before getting to a contact form. I sent the following message to Michael Ricci, founder and publisher of the site, as well as sending a similar message to the technology director:

Hi Michael,

Jason Heath here from doublebassblog.org and contrabassconversations.com. Some of my readers pointed out that your site is using my lever extension scroll photo in your Flash player for your ‘Birth of the Bass’ featured article. I’ve got perceptive readers! I was wondering if you could possibly put in some kind of attribution link, either to www.doublebassblog.org or www.contrabassconversations.com, or (even better) some mention of the podcast either on the site or in a future article. This show (the photo your site is using is actually the logo for the program) features interviews with and performances from many jazz bassists (including Eric Hochberg, Brian Bromberg, Lonnie Plaxico, Ranaan Meyer, and many others), and it is a place to check out more about the instrument. It might be a nice tie-in either with the Birth of the Bass article, or possibly as some future article.

-Jason Heath, Contrabass Conversations podcast
staff writer, Bass Musician Magazine

contrabassconversations@gmail.com
www.contrabassconversations.com
www.doublebassblog.org

We’ll see what kind of response I get. While some may get annoyed at having their content scraped, I see an opportunity to build a little more audience and get some love for the podcast!

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