Intellectual Property- MashUp

I'm not sure if anyone else out there has any familiarity with Girl Talk, Hood Internet, Daft Punk, etc. etc. The more notable 'mashup' artists.



I'm no wordsmith here, and I like Girl Talk, but I believe the NYTimes sums up the entire issue far better than I can ( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/arts/music/07girl.html ). But, if your greedy and giddy fingers don't feel like clicking that link and straining your eyes- the article talks about Gillis (Girl Talk) and how he falls in between the cracks of piracy and copyright law because of the 'Fair Use Act'. This law is in place where as a reviewer you can use small 'clips' in order to support your review. Gillis says his clips are extremely short and then turn in to a new song in its entirety... So he is 'above the law'.

Another source that can explain this entire issue (for all artists, not just Girl Talk) is Rip! A Music Manifesto... which can be found on Hulu the last time I checked. Head that way if you have any interest- here's a 'sample' from YouTube.

Hopefully the half-naked dancers don't distract you from what is actually being said.



Keen also talked about Citizen Journalists with our assigned readings. To be honest, I'm a fan of citizen journalists, even though they may be amateurs. I often find myself reading these citizen journalists over mainstream paper/media. ViceTV, gizmodo, engadget, etc. None of these individuals are experts in their field per say, but I still entrust their opinions. Pity the fool who does such things according to Keen, so apparently I'm one of those fools. I realize they aren't experts, but their knowledge can still be applied to this field and if I'm still indifferent to their opinion I'll find myself reading a consumer report or trusted site in regards to reviews.

It feels as though there is some black hole within the term citizen journalist.
And now speaking of all these reviews my mouth is going to attempt to review some food. Hungry man out. I'll finish this...