Sweden Officially Introduce Creative Commons License for Music

The board of STIM – the Swedish Performing Rights Society, has decided to introduce a noncommercial Creative Commons license (CC) during a trial period of two years. STIM protects the interests of authors and publishers of music in Sweden. On their behalf, STIM administers and licenses rights to music and text. Through its international network, STIM also represents rights to the worldwide repertoire of musical works. In addition, STIM promotes the creation and dissemination of new Swedish music.

The Danish equivalent, Koda – Komponistrettigheder i Danmark, already offers Creative Commons licensing to its members, making it the second country worldwide to do so. A similar pilot project was initiated in 2007 by Buma/Stemra in the Netherlands.

It shows that collective rights management and licenses can be combined to the benefit of artists, by taking noncommercial online distribution into their own hands.