slippery chicken--preparation for release and licensing of software for algorithmic music composition

The potential for software procedures to enrich our musical culture has been
established by various composers in the 50+ years since algorithmic composition
techniques were first introduced. Algorithmic composition involves the use of
step-by-step procedures, usually encapsulated in software routines, to create
music. Most conspicuous amongst proponents of musical algorithms is
pop-musician Brian Eno. The power of such systems is still not fully
understood or deeply investigated by musicians and composers, whether highly
trained or not. There are many riches to be mined, as the expression of
compositional ideas in software often leads to unexpected and surprisingly new,
exciting results, most of which cannot be achieved via traditional means.
Algorithmic composition techniques can thus play a vital and energising role in
the development of modern music across all genres and styles.

"slippery chicken" is a package of music composition software written in the
programming language Common Lisp. The system produces music of any aesthetic.
The original focus was to facilitate the combination of electronic and
instrumental sound worlds, not just at the sonic but at the structural level.
It uses a sequence-based approach to generating, in one pass, complete musical
scores for traditional instruments, or with the same data writing digital music
files for synthesisers or samplers. Its top-down, generative approach would be
of great interest to media/film/TV composers working to tight deadlines.

For mainly practical reasons, the software is not yet publicly available: at
more than 33,000 lines of code (c. 580 pages), the project has not yet been
formally documented, fully tested for every eventuality, and packaged into some
auto-installable form. This could, however, be accomplished within one year
with the help of a technician; funding is being sought to undertake this work.
Web-based documentation will be accompanied by illustrative musical material
and other outputs: an audio CD, a European lecture-concert tour, workshops, a
conference presentation, a journal paper, and downloadable demonstration
compositions that show off the software's unique features.

Although the system would be released as open-source, freely-downloadable
software which the music community at large may use without cost for
non-commercial purposes, securing commercial licensing agreements is another
focus of the project. This would be two-tiered: (a) licence to integrate
slippery-chicken in whole or in part into commercial music software programmes;
and (b) pay-for-support services for individual professional users of the
system.

Direct non-academic beneficiaries of the project will be:

1. composers, both pay-for-support and non-paying users of the system
2. the music software industry, via licensing
3. computer musicians
4. performers, via new works created with the system
5. the general public via music dissemination channels
6. workshop and lecture-concert attendees

Beneficiaries of the software to date have been musicians, concert organisers,
and audiences, i.e. the outcomes have been performances, recordings, scores,
and broadcasts of works created with the software by the author alone. Once
the software is released, benefits will extend outwards to new users who will
be able to:

1. download and use the software for free (for non-commercial purposes)
2. extend and modify the software
3. access documentation and help from the author and the community of users via
interactive websites and a mailing list
4. attend lecture-concerts on the use of, and compositions made with the
software at several key European institutions
5. attend one of two three-day workshops in Edinburgh given by the author
and the technical assistant
6. listen to a CD and, potentially, broadcasts of works created with the
software
7. attend a conference presentation on the software; the International Computer
Music Conference, for example, attracts a mixed audience including
non-academic participants from the Music Technology sector
8. read a journal article on the software
9. incorporate the software into commercial products (software or music) via
pay-for-support or licensing agreements

The main benefit of this project for composers is that the encapsulation and
expression of compositional ideas in software often leads to unexpected and
surprisingly new, exciting results. Many of these results cannot be achieved
via traditional means. It follows that algorithmic composition techniques can
play a vital role in contemporary culture by energising the development of
modern music across all genres and styles. This contributes positively to human
health, wealth, and quality of life, all of which music has an impact upon.

The timescale of these benefits extends years beyond the grant period: as the
software's user-base expands, more and more music will emerge, more licenses
can appear, and the software can be developed further, both by the original
author and by others, on a voluntary or salaried basis.

The system would be released as open-source, freely-downloadable software which
the music community at large can use without cost for non-commercial purposes,
but with an option for commercial licensing. This represents the most effective
path to maximising the project's impact: users who make cultural impact through
their music but no direct financial gain can use the software for free; users
who wish to incorporate the software into other software products or their
professional practice for financial gain pay a fee, and perhaps go on to create
jobs, benefiting society and the economy at large. Of course, another
potential outcome of this project would be a spin-out company; this would have
further economic and social impact for years to come.