What is Remix Manifesto?
A documentary exploring copyright and content creation, focusing on the electronic music artist, Girl Talk, who’s music is a unique blend of old and new music mash ups.

Here’s a trailer:

Here’s a link to the full movie: http://https://www.nfb.ca/film/rip_a_remix_manifesto/

The film had me pondering…
The greed that comes with fame, and how even the slightest sampling of an original song can be cause for a law suit and copyright battles. I also found it interesting to compare Girl Talk’s take on electronic music production and sampling to other artists who work more “underground” in the electronic music world. Sampling happens all the time, and more often than not most producers are totally fine with other artists incorporating their work into a mix, or a DJ set. Maybe this is because in smaller communities there is a general understanding that artists support other artists; they’re all in it together. Sampling another artist’s track in your work isn’t necessarily seen as “stealing” or something that must be paid for in order to do. It’s more about sharing.

In Girl Talk’s case, he’s working with some pretty big hits. I guess that’s where the problem lies. The sheer popularity of the songs he’s mixing and the audience to which he plays his music changes the entire concept. It is no longer seen as “sharing”, but rather, “stealing”. This makes me think about something the artist Emily Carr once said, “cities make people sick”. While I take that with a grain of salt, I do understand what she means and how this could be used an an analogy to describe what happens when music goes “mainstream”.

When Music Becomes Popular
When music goes mainstream and sways away from the small communities it used to be part of it loses its ability to remain a shared resource. It now sits on a pedestal instead of being amongst its original community. While there’s benefits to this, such as financial gain and popularity, it also has its down side. It moves itself outside of the community which originally supported its sharing and connection. There are rules on the pedestal. Sharing isn’t encouraged; and the audience has changed, too.

Final Thoughts
I wonder what would happen if Girl Talk incorporated underground electronic music into his work? Maybe his crowd would change. Maybe he’d have to worry less about copyright. Would underground producers allow him to use their work for free?