You may be beginning to hear this term bandied about. Or perhaps you’ve seen this image around your favorite music sites and you’re wondering what the heck it is. We aim to help you out with a little primer on exactly what it is and what it means for you.

Creative Commons is a term used for a new type of copyright license that allows the artist more control over what happens with their works. It basically lets an artist say “Yes I want my music to be able to be shared freely and I allow my music to be remixed by anyone that wants to. All I ask in return is that you give me credit for writing my portion.” It frees you, as the music listener, from any worries about what you can and can’t do with the song. And it always allows more usage than just plain copyright. Think of it as a layer on top of the regular copyright that relaxes many of the restrictions.

Now what does this mean for the artist? Well, they get to share their music more freely, and they get to say to their fans “I want you to be able to share my music with as many people as you can.” I know that we, as a site that tries to distribute music, definitely look favorably on songs that are under a Creative Commons license, simply because it really shows that the artist “get’s it” when it comes to letting fans pass music back and forth. And at the heart of it all, that’s what GT really is. It’s about being fans of the bands that we feature and sharing them with our friends.

So in summary, it’s basically yet another tool that artists can use to promote themselves and it’s a great thing for us as music listeners. When you see this logo you’ll know that you are free to download, share and enjoy this song as you please. So encourage your favorite artists to release more music under Creative Commons. It’s good for the fans, good for the artists and good for your favorite review website as well!