When I started producing my Silver Skins podcast, I was often asked whether I’d cleared the music copyright. My argument was far from comprehensive, usually involving an explanation that I always talk over the beginning and end of my tracks in traditional ‘Radio 1 Top 40′ style. I also mumbled that much of my music is new material which is benefiting from exposure to a niche ‘older but still cool’ audience.

Silver Skins is a receptacle for music that I am passionate about. The intention behind the podcast was to appeal to a generation who, like me, still loved music and refused to be knocked into any kind of middle-age music box. The passion part also has a lot linked to my ideas behind Blowback: this isn’t cycnical aloof abstraction about music industry trends but genuinely wanting to play the best music I experience – and pass on that experience. I’ve had fans of the podcast contact me, claiming that since listening to the show, they have gone out and bought the album, or seen the musician live. I’ve recently discovered this opinion is shared by UK Podcasters Association and was backed up by The 2008 MCPS-PRS Podcast License.

For a while I’ve sided with Andrew Dubber’s view on copyright, musicians should benefit from exposure rather than try and claw back the potential money they might have been lost. Nevertheless, in a world where people are illegally uploading and downloading entire movies or albums I very much doubt PRS would be interested in the one compressed track that I rabbit all over. But if the request does ever come, I will take it down.

In the mean time, I might be able to offer one further justification. I was inspired by Mixmag’s excellent podcast which provides enhanced capabilities. The fact that you can click on an image if playing in iTunes, (or possibly even on iTouch or iPhone – yet to test) you could buy the track in full from the store.

With my Enhanced Silver Skins, these are all bitly short links, so I will be able to measure how many people click through to the store as a result of listening to my podcast. Hopefully my case will be strengthened by recent reports that paid for downloads have boosted music sales.

There are other enhanced treats aswell, so have fun downloading and let me know what you think of the tweaked podcast. At the moment I realise that this podcast is a bit Apple-centric so if you have any idea of how I can reproduce the same effect in PC and on other audio devices then please let me know.

You can download the enhanced Silver Skins 3 by right clicking here.

Or you can subscribe to the RSS via my archive site.