remix

We all have a favourite song, movie, game or tv show, and we will engage with those platforms as often as possible. But when you’ve seen that movie 8 times and had that song on repeat just one too many times… and just like that it’s old news. That is until we decided to do something about it, by ‘rearranging, combining, editorializing, and adding originals to create something entirely new.’ (Jessell, 2013)

Mainstream music targets a specific audience, even though it is easily accessible by many people. The BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge Youtube channel consists of various artists covering other artists music, and adding their own unique twist. The song ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’ is originally by Drake, an R&B artist associated with rapping, soul, think Nike Airs and chains on those chilled out cool kids. Arctic Monkeys on the other hand, are an English rock band with a completely different audience type, think Raybans and Converse on those indie hipsters. Arctic Monkeys, still use the same key and lyrics as the original piece however, modify parts such as adding in their iconic bassline. The tone of the song is completely different aswell, conveying contrasting messages to the original. People may look at it as ‘just another cover’ however the Arctic Monkeys put their unique stamp on it in the remixing world. Generally, these two artists would rarely be compared to or target the same audience, however, due to the ever-growing remix culture which is so prominent in modern music.

Using other’s Intellectual Property, whether it be words, riffs, beats can be difficult to use whilst trying to make the song unique. According to the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), you do not have to obtain legal permission from the original artist if you are not making money off of the cover. However, if the recorded cover, such as Summertime Sadness (originally by Lana Del Rey, remixed by Cedric Gervais), which is played on the radio, in clubs and you can purchase it off of iTunes, generates money, then you must obtain a license and permission from the original artist. (The Cover Stories, 2011)

Remixing opens up content to many different audiences, some, which would never normally be interested. However, it is important to respect other people’s intellectual property. The beauty of remixing is that people can express their own creative flair and ideas on well know products and share them across the globe.

References

Jessell, M 2013 ‘Remix Culture: Rethinking what we call original content’ accessed 29/04/2014, http://marketingland.com/remix-culture-rethinking-what-we-call-original-content-41791

Karras, A 2014, ‘Remix Culture, Music Sampling: Creative or Criminal?’ accessed 2/05/2014, http://fordhamcyberculture.wordpress.com/2014/04/07/remix-culture-music-sampling-creative-or-criminal/

The Cover Stories 2011, ‘Legal Issues: When you need permission’ accessed 2/05/2014, http://thecoverstories.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/legal-issues-when-you-need-permission.html