I can't believe, Simon G, that you didn't read what I wrote. But there we go. It's not about Creative Commons if you're a professional. Or indeed if you're an amateur.
I didn't mention the word "copyright" - just simple realities. If I'm selling a small scale album to a small market, anyone who copies my album and passes those copies around is limiting my potential sales. On the other hand, anyone who plays my album to their friends and lets them know where my website is will increase my sales. And if I'm giving away music written by someone else, performed by other musicians, produced by someone else or distributed officially by someone else I may well be in a whole heap of trouble. Just as if I photocopied a really, really good novel and passed around those photocopies it wouldn't go down too well either.
The reality is there's no way to stop viral distribution and marketing, there's no effective way to keep a tab on it and so it's impossible to judge just how successful it is. Show of Hands reckon it works for them - great for them. I know, on the other hand, that a lot of my sales come from people who've heard someone else playing my CD and have come direct to me without burning their own illegal copy. But I have been very, very disturbed to find my music distributed as downloads from blog sites where someone else is making money out of music to which they have no rights whatsoever - and I haven't found a corresponding surge in my sales as a result.

As I said, I don't have a closed mind on the subject and have been trying out some of the newer marketing ideas. So far I'm underwhelmed by the results.

Anne