Advertisement
Streaming

How the internet’s most prolific composer makes a living by giving his music away for free

Creative Commons and the weird world of digital music rights.

Photo of Matt Silverman

Matt Silverman

Photo of chris boylan

chris boylan

2 Girls 1 Podcast KEVIN MACLEOD
The Daily Dot (Licensed)

If you’ve ever sought a soundtrack for your home movies that wouldn’t get removed by YouTube, chances are you’ve come across Kevin MacLeod’s music. He’s composed thousands of original tracks, in every imaginable genre, which he gives away under a Creative Commons license, on a variety of platforms, absolutely free.

Featured Video

His music has been used in commercials, films, video games, and an uncountable number of YouTube videos and podcasts without any compensation. So, how does Kevin feed himself?

This week on 2 Girls 1 Podcast, Alli and Jen (actors who perform weird internet stuff on stage) untangle the livelihood of the internet’s most prolific composer and Creative Commons pioneer.

Listen to the show:

Advertisement

Here’s Kevin composing a score for a video game in real time on Twitch:

This week’s episode is supported by Penguin Random House Audio, which publishes thousands of award-winning audiobooks every year, including your sci-fi and fantasy favorites like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, and Hank Green’s novels. Download Penguin Random House Audiobooks wherever you listen to your favorite audiobooks (Audible, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.) or check out this page to browse their latest selection.

Advertisement

2 Girls 1 Podcast is also supported by listeners. A lot of time and resources go into research, booking, editing, and publishing this show. If you love internet culture as much as we love ’casting about it, consider a contribution of $1 or $2 per month to help offset our production costs. Become a patron of #2G1P and earn some cool perks while you’re at it:

Become a Patron!

Subscribe to 2 Girls 1 Podcast wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts and get new episodes one week early on the free TuneIn app!

Advertisement

Apple Podcasts
Google Play
Spotify
TuneIn
Stitcher
SoundCloud
Radiopublic
RSS

We’d love to hear from you!

If you enjoy this podcast, consider sharing it with a friend or two, and use the hashtag #2G1P. We’ll be watching!

Advertisement

2 Girls 1 Podcast is hosted by Allison Goldberg and Jennifer Jamula, and is produced and edited by Matt Silverman in New York City. Production assistance is provided by The Podglomerate.

Want to hear more from the Daily Dot? Check out the Upstream Podcast, tackling the week in streaming entertainment, and We’re All Gonna Die, our weekly politics roundtable.

 
The Daily Dot