Creative Commons encourages artists to share and distribute their work for free. And that could be the key to a new multibillion-dollar industry. "Creative Commons is like a marketing tool," says Magnatune founder John Buckman, who has grossed $180,000 for 126 musicians since May 2003. "Free distribution generates exposure, and that builds commercial demand, which is where the real money is." The "sharing economy" is built on a supply-and-demand equation wholly alien to traditional media companies -- the record labels, Hollywood studios, and publishing houses that support strict copyright enforcement." It's powered instead by the many individual artists that have decided to market their abilities by sharing as much and as largely as possible whatever good work they had. With some restrictions of course. In this way while artists provide a socially valuable contribution that helps them gain merit-based visibility, they can reserve for themselves commercial rights to support their work. "For these artists, rampant Internet file swapping isn't a threat, but a blessing: the cheapest way to move from unknown to known." First fame then fortune appears to be the correct mantra for the emerging independent artist.