Creative Commons licenses give you a flexible way to share content with the strong foundation of traditional copyright law.

At their simplest, Creative Commons licenses provide a way to shift from “all rights reserved” to “some rights reserved,” sharing your work under the terms you’re comfortable with. This gives you control over distribution terms, and the non-exclusivity of the licenses means you can keep all commercial rights.

Creative Commons licenses all start with an attribution, or BY condition attached. This simply means that when content is used or shared the original creator needs to be acknowledged. The BY condition can stand on its own or, more commonly, other conditions are added as well.

A non-commercial, or NC, condition can be added to prohibit commercial use. A no-derivative, or ND, condition can be added to allow sharing but not remixing/changing. Or if derivatives are allowed a share-alike, or SA condition can be added to ensure that any remixes or mash-ups are released under the same terms you originally specified.

That's it. These Creative Commons conditions provide a simple and easy way to take the headaches out of sharing digital music.

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