ICANN just announced that non-latin domain names in web addresses could come into force as early as 2010. This has major global ramifications, meaning that ‘800 million people’ who don’t have latin based script as the origin of their language may have fairer and more equitable access to the internet. Definitely an article worth keeping an eye on.
The Bush and Blair love song remix- One of Lessig’s favourite examples of remixing. Think Bush and Blair lip-synching the words to Lionel Richie’s Endless Love. Spectacular. Following on with this idea is a new concept called “Un-Mixing”, coined by Dave Whiley. Whiley understands that everything can be traced back to an earlier heritage and has referenced every grouping of three words in his blog to another (randomised) author. Using a google search, he types in the three words (e.g. The most important…) and references the first article that appears. A very cool concept that is starting to grow legs.
What do Kelis, Andre 3000, Led Zeppelin and Jane’s Addiction have in common?
Superficially, not a real lot. Break down the beat to some of their most famous songs and you can hear a distinctive little 6 second drum beat that dates back to the Winston’s in 1969. The Amen Breakbeat is one of the most controversial loops in musical history, given that it has been sampled, recreated, restructured and replayed an infinite amount of times in the past fifty years and yet litigation has stayed at bay. The Youtube film ‘Video explains the world’s most important 6-sec drum loop’ by Mobius32 (2006) provides an interesting introduction to the entire story, that provides as much interest within the film as it does in the peripherals to the film. The passion of the music subculture and their engagement with this issue can be examined by the 4104 user comments dating from February 21 2006, to nine hours ago (October 25 2009). Some contest its validity; others reference its presence in everything from James Brown to the Powerpuff Girls opening credits. What appears to be entirely glossed over; however, is how important this loop has been in the creation of new cultural works. Had The Winston’s copyrighted this particular loop and kept it out of the public domain, these new works may never have been created.
Mobius32 references a quote by Lawrence Lessig (2009), who argues that the public domain is a breeding ground for new works, where culture grows and develops. Culture grows by people building on each other’s work, appropriating ideas and developing them to create progress. In the first class of the first year of uni, Professor Philip Kitley (2007) gave the most articulate and apt run-down on academic plagiarism policies. He quoted Isaac Newton in saying “If I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants”, inferring the liberal and free use of others works is appropriate only when due credit is given. In my base and shallow view of the last 40 years of music culture, wouldn’t it just seem fair if we gave credit where credit is due and allowed the free development of cultural capital? Since the 1980’s, the spillover from old ideas to new knowledge generation has slowed to an all time low (with the author citing a direct correlation with the registering of patents) (Caballero and Jaffe, 1993, 1), and this is only in an industrial context. The effects of rigid boundaries culturally could be assumed to be even more disastrous. The link between the Amen Breakbeat and subculture is intrinsic. Whelan (2009) argues that a group of people disenchanted with the popular culture seek alternatives to the mainstream. The stifling of personal creativity has major cultural ramifications in a broader social context.
The ultimate irony of the ‘Giant’s Shoulders’ quote, lies in the common understanding of the quote being created by Newton, when it’s true history dates back as far as Greek mythology (if not further). So how high are the giant’s shoulders (Caballero ad Jaffe, 1993, 1)? Apparently too high to climb upon.
References
Caballero, R, and Jaffe, A, 1993, ‘How High are the Giant’s Shoulders: An Empirical Assessment of Knowledge Spillovers and Creative Destruction in a Model of Economic Growth’, University of Chicago, JSTOR Database, http://www.jstor.org/pss/3585017, accessed 25/10/09
Kitley, P, 2007, Personal Communication
Lessig, L, 2009, Lessig 2.0, http://www.lessig.org/blog/, accessed 25/10/09
Mobuis32, ‘Video explains the world’s most important 6-sec drum loop’, Youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SaFTm2bcac&feature=player_embedded, accessed 25/10/09
Whelan, A, 2009, ‘Music History 2.0: The Amen Breakbeat’, BCM301 History of Media and Communication, Lecture, http://www.scribd.com/doc/20392683/Bcm301-Week-9-Amen, accessed 25/10/09
A collection of images that represent the famous Amen breakbeat. The gallery includes the Amen Brothers - The Winston record logo, and a photo of a dog playing the drums.
Video explains the world’s most important 6-sec drum loop
Whelan, Andrew 2009 ’ The ‘Amen’ Break beat as Fratriarchal Totem’ Dichotomies
A reference that explains the development and uses of the renowned Amen Breakbeat
In this blog, the writer consisly outlines the development of the music industry in the last 10 years. Instead of purchasing a CD from a store, people are now more likely to download straight from the internet. The internet has also provided new artists a means to be heard on a global platform without a recod label backing. A recommended read.
Suddath, C.2009, ‘Greg Kot: How the Internet Changed Music’, Time magazine online, May 21
As title of the blog suggets, the writer has described one way the internet has changed the musis. Death Cab for Cutie, a tenderhearted indie-rock band, gained its popularity from their exposure on the net.
This lecture by Andrew Whelan explores the history of the amen breakbeat and explains its importance in the music revolution.
The message repeated throughout Boyle’s book is that “we have got the balance between intellectual property and the domain all wrong,” (Boyle 2009).
This book is a great resource for anyone who would like to understand intellectual property law and its role in shaping our culture and technology. It does not focus on the rules themselves but on the assumptions that guide them, the policies they represent and the effects they have (Boyle 2008). The book has been made available online for free under the Creative Commons license.
Boyle introduces the concept of the public domain and describes how it is being destroyed by the copyright, trademark and patent laws. Materials under the public domain banner are not covered by any of these laws; they are not owned or controlled by anyone, therefore can be used by anyone for any purpose.
Society has failed to understand the purpose of the public domain. These materials are free for all to share, reuse, to repurpose, to remix without permission. Public domain material is vital to creativity, development and innovation, perhaps more important than copyrights, trademarks and patents. (Boyle 2009)
Copyright, trademarks and patent laws have become so restrictive they are limiting innovation. With a series of case studies, Boyle explains that if these laws were enforceable five decades ago, innovations like the internet would not exist. (Boyle 2008). We need to find a balance between intellectual property and the public domain, in other words, a balance between ideas controlled by these laws and ideas that are free. Boyle’s main point is that society needs more faith, “more rights mean more innovation” (Boyle 2009) Society needs limits but to the extent that it stifles progress.
References:
Boyle, James, 2009 The Public Domain lecture (audio recording), ODEO, http://odeo.com/episodes/24461543-James-Boyle-s-Public-Domain-lecture-audio
Boyle, James, 2008 The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind, Yale University press, http://www.thepublicdomain.org/download/
The Virtual Museum of the Pacific: A Semantic Web-based Content Management System. The Australian Museum is a hub of information, education, resources and research. It is a great example of a online collection which has also adopted many social media tools.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (YouTube) - literacy mashup/remix
Pride and Prejudice is now in the public domain. An almost 200 year old novel, and Austen’s passing over 100 years ago, the text is open to reworkings, appropriation and modifications. One project by Seth Grahame Smith has involved a mash up of Austen’s original work with Zombie fiction to make Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to give it a contemporary edge. Suddenly Elizabeth as well as dealing with the trials and tribulations of love and relations, must fight hoards of zombies. Here a university student from America, has created a mash-up video, a visual representation of Smith’s new book. This is a great example of the use of the public domain and history 2.0 to create a new work from an old one and make it relevant to popular culture.
Other examples include:
· Pride & Prejudice & Zombies Book Trailer By The UnLibrarian (YouTube)
· Jane Austen’s Zombie Viral Bestseller? (YouTube)
