CD Baby members use SML's Weed to sell music

SEATTLE, WA. (Shared Media Licensing press release) - Under an agreement announced today, Portland, OR-based CD Baby will offer its 65,000+ affiliated artists the option to distribute their music online using the Weed file format. Developed by Seattle's Shared Media Licensing, Inc., Weed(SM) files can be freely shared over the Internet, yet they still earn revenue for musicians.
CD Baby was founded in 1998 by Derek Sivers. Looking for an easier way to market CDs by himself and a few friends, he set up shop on the Internet. Over the last 6 years, the business has mushroomed to become the world's largest online retailer of independent music, with sales exceeding 1 million CDs. CD Baby's digital distribution service currently includes over 230,000 titles by independent artists.

Weed provides CD Baby members with an entirely new way to distribute their music. Unlike most digital music files, Weed files are designed to be shared legally over the Internet. When you get a Weed file, you can listen to it 3 times for free before being asked to buy it. If you buy it, you can share it and earn a 20% commission when someone else buys it. The artist earns 50% on every sale.

According to SML President John Beezer, Weed offers independent artists a unique solution to the problem of marketing their music on the Internet. "Basically, it's do-it-yourself, pay-as-you-go promotion and distribution. Any artist or band with a web page can start selling music just by linking to their Weed files. Fans can do the same, selling Weed files on their own web sites or blogs, and spreading the music even further."

Since the Weed service debuted in December of 2003, artists ranging from unsigned independents, to Grammy-winners like Sir Mix-a-Lot, and mega-acts like Heart have embraced the Weed concept. "It's the only Internet distribution service that allows people to share music without shortchanging artists in the process," says Beezer.

More information:
- Weed, main site: https://www.weedshare.com
- Weed, press resources: https://weedshare.com/web/press.html
- CD Baby, digital distribution program: https://cdbaby.net/dd
- CD Baby, main site: https://www.cdbaby.com.