Jonathan Coulton re-releases 'Baby Got Back' cover in protest of 'Glee'

Internet folk musician Jonathan Coulton isn't sitting idly by following Glee's liberal, uncredited reproduction of his famous "Baby Got Back" cover. The musician has limited legal options — there's no legal recourse for a cover that sounds exactly like yours — but he's resorting to other means to make a point; he's re-released the cover on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon, and says that proceeds from all re-released track sales between now and the end of February will go to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation and the It Gets Better Project (after, of course, paying iTunes fees and royalties to Sir Mix-a-Lot). In a blog post, Coulton writes that the new (old) track is "a cover of Glee's cover of Sir Mix-a-Lot's song, which is to say it's exactly the same as my original version."

I’m Jonathan Coulton, and This Is How I Work

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.