--Sept 27th 2003--
***You can now down load some of my music in WEED format from my Audio page, if you don't know what weed is read my rant on the subject below***

--Sept 26th 2003 -- WEED files,
The most forward thinking music distribution idea I have seen. The basic concept is that you can download media in WEED format file which is similar to mp3's / mpegs and play using windows media player. You can listen/view the file a few times before being given an opportunity to purchase said media {songs seem to sell for between $0.80-$1.50ea).... Once you buy a WEED file you are free to listen as much as you want as well as burn yourself a copy to CD or other media device / player etc.

NOW THE SUPER COOL PART !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The concept that WEED promotes is that when you purchase a copy of a weed file, the artist who created it gets a full 50% of the selling price and you are actually encouraged to share it freely with others via e-mail, ftp, p2p, etc, etc.... If one of your friends or file sharing peers buys a file you turned them onto, you benefit by getting a percentage of the price paid, which starts at 20%, for a "first generation" referral, for you the humble music lover...
If the tunes are really good and people are really digging, sharing and buying 'em, an enthusiastic music sharing fan could actually make a few bucks by turning others on to new music..... just by supporting the artist!!!

The WEED model is a fantastic concept, which rather than looking upon the huge community of people using p2p file sharing networks as a threat that must be stopped, it encourages users and offers to reimburse them for their help and support ..... Something that the major record companies' fiercely pro-status quo attitude towards the music sharing public this has virtually ruled out....

OK, I'M gonna Rant a bit more........ It seems quite apparent "BIG MUSIC" feels threatened by p2p networks and the like because they usually do not follow the established music distribution model, wherein the big conglomerate record co.'s make the lions share of the money generated by the sale of artists music.
In-order to make the most money "BM" usually releases only the most commercial and much of the time over produced middle of the road "safe" records.
This means the songs / artists which are basically guaranteed to get lots of MTV play and thus achieve an extremely large return on their initial investment are increasingly the only ones that A&R departments rely on to generate revenue..... Meanwhile the actual number of artists/bands being offered record deals by the major labels is steadily declining.... Which is great for "BM's" bottom line, because for the most part the monetary return the label reaps rarely benefits the artist themselves, who are generally lucky to see a royalty of couple of dollars per album sold..... Much of which goes towards paying back the record label for "recoupable costs" like studio time, touring support and independent radio promotion..... {For another article / opinion read the Courtney Love does the math from Salon Magazine}
In other words "BIG MUSIC" would prefer to lazily milk the cash cow and stick with safe music "bets" in order to sell more copies of fewer actual releases... Anyone else getting board of the music mainstream lately???

All of this really makes the 50% artist share WEED pays seem substantial and signals a much more realistic, fair system of artist centered music distribution.......
I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only independent musician who has been looking for a new more open-minded concept which could help to get artists music out and into the ears of the general public, without needing a big label deal....
Not to mention the many people who are just into good music, those that enjoy finding new and interesting sounds..... People who want to support artists and share the music that they enjoy and maybe even make a few bucks on the side.....

For more in-depth info go to the WEED site at http://www.weedshare.com check out the FAQ, if your stoked download the weed media activator and start gettin' some..... Weed that is !!!