I don’t know if c|net counts as mainstream, but it is about time Creative Commons gets some wide press coverage.
Creative Commons–an answer to the copyright debate? | Perspectives | CNET News.com
Creative Commons seeks to offer creators methods to protect their works while also encouraging certain uses of them. It wants to improve a system marked by increasingly restrictive default rules with “a layer of reasonable, flexible copyright.”
I use the Creative Commons Share Music License quite a bit. I released all of my album One under that license, and we have some bonus tracks from the recent Lucky 7s recording available under that license.
Using that CC license lets people know that it is ok, and even encouraged, to share those tracks with their friends, or use them on their podcasts, without having to get my permission or worry about breaking the law. I have found it to be an exceptional way to get the word out about interesting music.