Anyone is welcome to use the First Amendment Advisory Logo (pictured above)
on any music release (commercial or not), free of charge, without asking
permission, and without signing any agreement.
Why? Because Digital Void Records does not want to be anything like the RIAA.
the short version of the story:
Digital Void Records created the First Amendment Advisory Logo (FAAL), which first appeared on Wayne Savant's Unstoppable Force Immovable Object album.
DVR considered using the commonly seen Parental Advisory Logo (PAL), an image that is owned and licensed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In order to use the RIAA's Parental Advisory Logo, you have to sign a license agreement. In that agreement there is a requirement about sending a copy of the published recording to the RIAA.
DVR decided that it made sense to create an alternative option. There was no
good reason for the RIAA to discourage use of a logo that is designed
for the informing the public and protecting young listeners, and certainly
no good reason the RIAA should get a free CD out of the deal. With the way
the RIAA has historically behaved, it's almost surprising they didn't also try to get a
royalty for each CD containing the logo.
Advisory logos, such as the FAAL and the PAL, are not a form of censorship.
The logos exist to allow parents to prevent their children from listening
to content that may not be suitable for them. The parents may still choose
to let a child listen to music containing an advisory logo, but at least they
can be given a chance to make that choice. Advisory logos are not required on
recordings containing profanity - it is the record company's option whether
to include a logo on the product. Digital Void Records chose to include
the FAAL due to a limited amount of profanity on the album. But it was also
a hint at the political nature of some of the lyrics.
Digital Void Records welcomes and encourages anyone and everyone to use the First Amendment Advisory Logo as a free and easy alternative to dealing with the RIAA and their licensing requirements.
Under the Creative Commons License, Digital Void Records retains the copyright on the logo, but anybody may use the logo without compensation or permission, even on a commercial product. The license requires the user of the image to give credit (attribution) to the owner, but this is something that Digital Void Records chooses not to enforce. DVR would, however, appreciate a mention in the liner notes!
