Monk Turner: Free Music, Creative Commons, and the Home Studio

 - San Francisco, California - The independent recording artist Monk Turner has earned a reputation as a leader in the free music movement and as the Galactic Defender of the Concept Album. His latest album, a joint project with Fascinoma titled Emergency Songs, has been downloaded thousands of times and has received dozens of positive reviews, including my own on Sour Grapes Winery. I had a chance to sit down with Turner over Skype and learn about the experiences that brought him to his current level of popularity and success as an independent artist as well as his involvement in the Creative Commons project and his views concerning music in today’s society.

Monk TurnerMonk Turner’s early forays into recording and mixing occurred in his high school and college years, providing a solid foundation for his future musical pursuits. At 14, he first began experimenting with recording using a borrowed four-track machine. He mixed live sound for his high school’s drama department. In college, he mixed for live music venues, festivals, and theaters, an occupation that would hold for ten years. He also continued to record in his club years, but not for the purpose one might expect; he created the music that the bar would play near closing to clear out the building. He chuckled as he told me that he made a game out of seeing how annoying he could make the music and how quickly the music could make people leave. Surprisingly, despite his best efforts at making the music unbearable, some listeners stubbornly persisted in enjoying it.

According to Turner, mixing and recording continued as a hobby after his mixing for clubs and events gradually came to an end. He transitioned to a studio-based environment; after recording with a four track machine, he would transfer his songs to CDs and give them away to friends. He stressed that he did not have grandiose aspirations of his music or its popularity; he wrote and recorded for his friends’ enjoyment and his own exploration.

Oddly enough, Turner also did not begin with a drive to support the Creative Commons or even a free music model. His first introduction to Creative Commons was at SXSW (South By Southwest) in Austin, Texas. For those readers who have not had much exposure to the project, Creative Commons is a comprehensive Internet resource that provides standardized legal documents that allow artists to give away their music for free without surrendering all rights to its sale, licensing, or use in derivative works. Artists can choose the limits that they want to place on the use of their music and the Creative Commons system will generate a comprehensive end user license agreement, essentially doing the work of a lawyer for free. The Creative Commons resource is exclusively targeted towards artists who distribute their work for free, and the program provides free online storage for artists that use their system and licenses. The free storage was the initial draw for Turner, because having his music on the Internet would greatly reduce the need for him to buy CDs to give out to friends.  Instead, he could refer them to a website where they could download his songs at no cost.

Turner's initial audiece mainly consisted of the fans of the bands he used to play in, but as Turner continued to write, record, and release his music freely, his following expanded. “Take Your Vitamin” in 2005 was the first of Turner's releases to garner Internet acclaim, and his following expanded with each successive release. As his notoriety grew, Turner's songwriting and mixing also increased in their sophistication. His release “Taking Requests” (2007) was the first to be recorded with digital rather than analog equipment. With the release of "Love Story" (2008) Turner did away with the overt "silliness" of his former albums in favor of a more serious, yet satirical tone. Turner views "Love Story" and its two successors ("Coordinates", 2010; "Emergency Songs", 2011) as his "highest quality albums." These albums are also the most downloaded from Turner's collection.

Monk Turner's latest album with Fascinoma, "Emergency Songs" (2011)Concerning the future of his music, Turner emphasized that his musical focus has always been cultural progress rather than profit. He stated that he views musicians as individuals whose role is to “help the culture along” in its artistic development. Turner lives out that mission as a teaching artist at the Harmony Project, an organization that focuses on providing instruments and musical instruction to low-income youth. Turner emphasized that he views his work with the Harmony Project as more significant and fulfilling than his albums. He told me, “I hope to get to a point where [music] licensing pays the bills, but even if that day came, I would still want to find ways to work in the community.”

As I talked with Turner, I felt refreshed by his energy. From personal experience and from observing other musicians I know, I have discovered that the independent music scene is filled with desperate, frustrated, and above all insecure musicians who are constantly seeking validation, whether it be from a major label or a large (read: paying) fanbase, a wish that never materializes for most. In such an environment, Turner is the refreshing exception; his ambition is not for money or notoriety but rather for the love of music itself. In a profession riddled with angst, division, and self-absorption, I can only hope that the spirit is infectious.

You can download Turner's music, including "Emergency Songs" and "Love Story", for free at http://www.monkturner.com.

JK