-----Original Message----- From: Aurélien Leblond [mailto:blablack@gmail.com] Sent: Monday, August 01, 2011 11:07 AM To: linux-audio-user(a)lists.linuxaudio.org Subject: [LAU] An appeal to famous artists? I'm writing this post because of a few experiences I had over the years into world of amateur music production (but I'm sure it does applies to every artistic domains). I'm an amateur musician and a Linux enthusiast, and even though I work as a developer, my professional activity doesn't directly have anything to do with both these domains (although in the case of Linux this is quite a shame, but that's another subject). But one thing I am surrounded with at work is fellow musicians. I have setup a pretty nice home studio in my flat: electronic drumkit, alright USB sound-card, good quality speakers, electric guitar, pretty big guitar fx board, USB keyboard with a lot of knobs, few synthesizers and......a laptop running Ubuntu, Ardour, Hydrogen, AlsaModularSynth, Yoshimi, LV2, etc, etc and etc... A few of these colleagues came to my place to play music, and all of them were impressed by the level of investment, and invariably the first question that comes up is the price of all the hardware and software... So when I explained that I gathered the hardware over the last few years and that the software is free, I always get that little wink and smile: - “haaaa 'free'? Bittorent yeah?” - “no no no...not THAT free... I'm using Linux, and I'm trying to make a point of using only free software in my music production... Actually it's not free as you think it is, I do try to make some donations every year, blablabla...” And invariably, I get “the look” (you all know which one I'm talking about)... As the sessions go on and my colleagues see the different software in actions, they always start to make the comparison with what they use in other OS: “Wouah I can't do that with my drum machine! And this software Ardour is pretty cool, and I really like the sound of this synthesizer! What is it? AlsaModularMix you say? Well it looks weird but I like it!”... Then as the conversation goes on on gears and software, it generally goes like this “oh, I bought this synth because Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails is using it and I wanted to get that sound...”, “this guitar fx? Bought it because the guys in Slayer are using it and I love” (yes all my mates and myself are metal heads!). So I started to think... And I thought a little bit more... All the people I know in the music world, we always use references to known artist: “Trent Reznor uses this, The Edge uses that, Brian Eno has this synth, etc”. There is even a website that list the gears used by famous guitar players. I have a couple of friends back in my home country who are trying to build up a recording studio... They work 100 hours a week recording and promoting local bands, they eat pasta because the money is tight.......but they spent I don't know how much into brand new Macs and software licenses... I can hear you from here already “WHY DID YOU NOT TELL THEM ABOUT LINUX???” Well......I did: - “Yeah RIGHT! Every known musicians use Macs! They are designed for artists!” Really? Who decided that? Aaaaaaahhhhh yeah I forgot, Apple is very good at advertisement... See that little illuminated apple at the back of every of their laptops? That sticks out well when Trent Reznor posts pictures of his studio, or when you see pictures of ?uestLove on stage... - “Linux and stuff... It's for free... It must sucks... I mean you need loads of research and money to create the software to play music...” Really? - “It's not stable enough...” Ok, I give you that... But we have come a long way... And I bet that a good Ubuntu setup without alpha or beta versions of any software would be stable... And obviously the user base on proprietary software is bigger, so more testers, more feedbacks... But hey, look at my laptop, pretty stable no? - “It's too complicated... with these command lines and all...” Hmmm yes and no there... Yes setting up a Linux machine with a low latency kernel is quite complicated... But remind me how much did you spent to setup your Mac? And yeah you are right, we used command lines in Linux... But YOU don't have to! When was the last time you saw a Linux machine? Ah yeah, when I show you my Mandrake machine 10 years ago... Well we came a long way since that time, you should check it again! I mean playing, recording and producing music on a computer IS a complicated business, whatever OS you use. - “And when it doesn't work, who do I ask?” Hmmmm, when Cubase doesn't work, what do you do? Oh yeah, you google your issue and you browse around forums to find a solutions... Actually when you have an issue with your mac in general, is it Apple or a dude on some forums who gives you the solution? So I thought a little bit more... In the world of artists (I thinking here especially about music, but it is probably right in other artistic domains), brands are created because artists use them, no? And SERIOUSLY, in the world of music, the Open Source world certainly have brilliant tools! And the Open Source certainly has to speak to a lot of artist if they knew about it? The sense of freedom, the sense of sharing? Isn't it what Bob Marley or Rage Against the Machine were singing about? Trent Reznor (yes, I am a big fan) has been releasing music under Creative Common licenses... He let the people decide how much they wanted to pay for some of his albums (remind you of something? Donations?). He let fans record all the concerts of his last tour, let them mix it, cut it, produce it, package it and sale it (check out ThisOneIsOnUs). He even provided the tracks of some songs for the fan to have fun and mix them differently... Surely a guy like that would understand the value of Free Software. And where there is one, there might be others... (Sorry for the long introduction but) What I am getting at is this: Should we make an appeal to artists to produce something using only Open Source software? What do you guys think? Isn't it the best time to promulgate such a message, with the social media and all? And if yes, what would be the best way? Or am I completely wrong? And there is something in the big picture I didn't see?