Grey Tuesday, copyrights, and creative freedom
In February 2004, an event known as Grey Tuesday took place in protest against musical censorship. This is what happened and what we can learn from it.
Tag: Copyright
How Music Sampling is Different from Stealing
Sampling is a creative tool for music composition. But is it really theft? Dr. E. Michael Harrington clarified things in a video for Berklee Online.
Point Blank’s Guide to Sampling: History, Development & Techniques
We have a special guest editorial from Point Blank Electronic Music School and it’s all about sampling.
Kraftwerk Lose German Court Battle Of Uncleared Sample
German music pioneers Kraftwerk have lost their battle over an uncleared sample. In what could be a landmark ruling at least in Germany, a sampling lawsuit went the way of the sampler rather than the sampled. The case was related to a ban on the sale of the song “Nur mir (Only to me)” by …
READ: Academic Papers On Sampling By Amanda Sewell
Thanks to musicologist Amanda Sewell, we have some academic papers on the subject of sampling. Sampling is synonymous with interactive technology. The pressing of pads on an MPC or Maschine, the splicing of audio on a DAW or even the manual pausing on cassette. But we don’t really see many books or papers on the …
SATURDAY MATINÉE: Michael Jackson Deposition (1993)
Here’s a 3-hour cut of Michael Jackson’s 1993 deposition held in Mexico, centred around supposed plagiarism of 3 songs.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: BBC Short Change - How To Download Music Legally
Back in 2005, music downloads were still in their infancy. Here’s a video from ’05 on how to download music legally thanks to BBC’s Short Change. I was 14 when I bought my first MP3 player. I saved up my pocket money for an entire month to buy a little 128MB unbranded player that came …
Leftover Links #16: Synths, Samples and Drum Machines
It’s Leftover Links time and we’re looking into the wonderful world of synths, samples and drum machines thanks to articles from HipHopDX, RBMA and The Guardian.
Frank Ocean's "Super Rich Kids" Sample Saga
The sampling lawsuit involving Frank Ocean’s Super Rich Kids is a little more entangled than you might think. Oh joy, another sample lawsuit. This one involves singer Frank Ocean and his track Super Rich Kids, his label UMG and TuffAmerica, a label from New York. Based on that premise, it’s appears to be a simple …
NEWS: Madonna Wins Sample Lawsuit For "Vogue"
The Queen of Pop Madonna wins her lawsuit for a hidden sample on her classic hit, Vogue. These lawsuits involving uncleared samples are still coming thick and fast and they aren’t exclusive to hip hop. Madonna and frequent collaborator Shep Pettibone recently won their case over a supposed “hidden” sample in their hit single, Vogue. …
NEWS: Copyright Law Extended To 70 Years
Good and bad news: copyright law has been extended from 50 years to 70 years in the UK.
Portishead's Geoff Barrow Calls Out The Weeknd For Uncleared Sample
Oh dear. Geoff Barrow of Portishead accuses The Weeknd of using an uncleared sample. Yep, another one. The story may be the different but the subject is still the same: uncleared samples. The accuser in this incident is Geoff Barrow, main member of Portishead and hip hop collective Quakers. The song causing all the trouble …
Five Suggestions for Sample-Based Producers (Via Do Androids Dance)
EDM blog Do Androids Dance have written up a list of five helpful suggestions for sample-based producers. Over the past few months, we’ve discussed various sampling issues with some of the biggest names in hip hop. While obscure samples are harder to clear/easier to not clear because of their hidden nature, the bigger the sampling …
VIDEO: Young Guru Discusses The Line Between Sampling In Music And Piracy
Young Guru, famous for his work with Jay-Z, talks about sampling and the intricate issues involved.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: Don't Copy That Floppy!
Did I hear you right? Did I hear you saying that you’re going to make a copy of a game without paying? Don’t Copy That Floppy!
VIDEO: Early Documentary about Sampling (1988)
Sampleface wouldn’t be Sampleface without the art of sampling. Producers know the feeling when they listen to a track and they just hear that hook/riff/break/loop in their head. This practice formed the foundations of hip hop and can still be found today (albeit via differing means). But before all the copyright bullshit, sampling was done freely …
Sampling as Theft?
Is sampling “theft”? Bee investigated. Okay, let’s play devil’s advocate for a minute and view the use of samplers as nothing more than technological Robin-Hoodism; with producers stealing pieces of music and then playing it back for their own audience. Copyright norms generally protect the composition of a piece of music as well as the …
