In 2005, Jonathan Coulton did something most of us only dream about: he left his day job in the name of rock. (Okay, folk rock.) A lifelong musician and computer programmer by trade, Jonathan quickly gained a following with songs about coding, science fiction, and geek culture. (If you need an introduction, check out this acoustic version of his song "Code Monkey.") As a champion of music industry reform, Jonathan makes his music available for free download and use under Creative Commons. According to him, "I give away music because I want to make music, and I can't make music unless I make money, and I won't make any money unless I get heard, and I won't get heard unless I give away music." So far, he's been able to support his career this way (unsigned) for nearly a decade. How does he do it? Ask him—he's chatting live for the next hour. More »
Oct 17, 2012 12:00 PM
I’m Jonathan Coulton, and This Is How I Work
-
How Can I Fit More Songs on My MP3 Player?
Dear Lifehacker, I have about 40GB of music, but only 8GB of space on my iPhone. Are there any tricks to getting more songs to fit on a small device? I know I'll never fit the whole library, but if I could squeeze a few extra albums on there (without just converting them and losing quality), I'd be... More »
-
How to Master the Art of Looking Busy
Looking busy has a bad rap. Sometimes you have to look busy so you can actually work on the things that matter. Here's how to trick others into believing you've got a full plate so you'll get the breathing room to actually get things done. More »
-
Think Outside the Box to Get Your Resume Noticed
-
How to Blackmail Someone
-
Turn a Raspberry Pi Into a Super Cheap, Packet-Sniffing Power Strip
-
How to Get Free Repairs Without a Valid Warranty
-
Peek Inside the Only Hardcore Video Game Arcade Left in San Francisco
Newsletter
