Aaron Swartz, serial co-founder and internet rights activist, did everything he could to give people the tools to share information for free on the internet. His suicide has solidified his place as an icon for like-minded people, and one of them, musician Jarius Khan, has started #MP3Tribute, a project meant to commemerate his memory by making more music free online.
For #MP3Tribute, Khan wants to take 100 commcerially sold albums by various artists and make them free to share online through a Creative Commons license. Though he's best known for his role in building Reddit, Swartz also helped create the Creative Commons license, which allows artists to protect their intellectual property rights, while also making their work available for use by the internet-at-large.
"I felt like we weren't just dealing with the loss of an incredibly talented and driven mind, but also with having our collective future robbed of all of the things Aaron had yet to do," Khan explains. "People wouldn't have the same access to music that they do today if it wasn't for Aaron, and I wouldn't have had the opportunities that I've had as an artist if it wasn't for Aaron. I want to celebrate what he's given us."
Though Khan is the group's organizer, his music isn't technically eligible to contribute for the project. His work with Industrial group Ad·ver·sary was made free online right from the get-go.
The #MP3Tribute is off to a good start but is far from finished. So far the collection features 15 albums from 11 artists, including Jesse Dangerously, Acumen Nation and Displacer.
You can check out the project and download the collection right here.
