Monday, May 2, 2011

Wk1 Reading (actually Videos)


That was a great spread of information and personal stories about copyright in this digital age presented in the videos. Copyright is something that has been constantly with me through the years and something I’ve looked at closely in Australia and America. Being a songwriter I am constantly reminded of copyright issues as I consider the melodies I create and, as a performer, I am reminded of the idea of paying for what you use and respecting others work as I would have them respect mine.
Back in the early 90s I was a product demonstrator at Mac World in Sydney for a product that was the first version in what would be later known as Protools. I remember that there were two types of people coming to my stand. One type would be marveling at the technology available to manipulate sound to create new music, the other would be furious at those same abilities used to steal other’s creations (or manipulate their songs without permission). I had more than one person literally screaming at my Mac II and me that I was the beginning of the end of music and should be ashamed at my part in it.
I think it affected me so much that, since that time (until Garageband and even then I try to only use percussion and add my own live instruments) I would create my own percussion loops rather than sample someone else’s songs even though I had the gear to do it.
That’s why the Good Copy/Bad Copy video was quite personal to me and those same issues that faced me twenty years ago are still being faced around the world.
As a registered songwriter in Australia I still receive a very small amount of money every year from the performing rights association, not for the royalties of my music being played on TV or radio but from an amount that is paid to this same association (and then distributed to its members) by the Chinese government because they do not keep records of the sale, distribution or airplay of copyrighted music. This is one way in which governments are recognizing their responsibilities to artists but it does nothing to change the situation in that country.
I also loved the list of Brad Templeton’s copyright myths. I have heard every one of those come from the mouths of friends, colleagues and people who claim to be in the know and some of them very recently. Certainly number one is huge. Even though copyright is automatic, however, it’s easier to take someone to court if you have a piece of paper from the copyright office rather than a self addressed, sealed envelope with your CD and a fading postmark to prove that your wrote it and when.
I have to say, a positive thing about the course we are doing is that this knowledge about copyright and where to find creative commons and public domain material is going to help save us (and/or our bank accounts) in this digital age as we continue to create materials to help us deliver more effective education to our classes. We don’t know where it’s going to end up or who’s going to see so we better have all the creative bits locked down legally.

5 comments:

  1. Hi Peter!
    I thought your story about demonstrating a Protool-like prototype was very interesting. The age of stealing music and media through the internet was pretty much in place when I was in high school, so I have never thought about that transitional period when artists and techies were realizing what was about to happen as enabling software/hardware became available. The dual reactions that you were getting I think represent the common viewpoint from most Americans, at least the younger, student generation. From talking to my students, I have gotten that they realize that burning or stealing is bad, but at about the same level as jaywalking—not a “legit” law. As we heard from the professor at American University, the laws are so constraining and the state of things so corrupted and unregulated, that the kids think its ok to do it. Everyone steals music and burns movies (they say)…who even buys a CD anymore. From our professional educator (and you a musical artist) perspective, we realize the deep flaws in the system and are alarmed by the blatant disregard for artists’ rights. I really don’t know how its going to get better. That is so crazy that China doesn’t even try. I wonder why? They just don’t hold value in tracking it or giving the individual credit? It is the “one is all” mentality? Do they just pay every country? How do they know how much? I agree with you that fair use is a great security feature, even for those of us who don’t mind sharing. It’s always good to have some sort of legal backing and protection.

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  2. Peter
    Your story was a great example of why copyright laws have been established and set in motion. I believe the fight over music is so much more difficult to keep up with then written word or videos. I was amazed at how a simple three notes made a song illegally copied. I would not have noticed it if they video did not distinctly pick it out. As much as the United States is fighting to protect works of arts, it seems like an endless battle because other countries do not monitor it so vigorously. I am always talking to my students about being original but as you stated with the newest technology giving them the tools to use others work, it makes the fight harder. As educators, it is our responsibility to assure the knowledge of copyright laws is passed on to our students with hopes they will understand and uphold them.

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  3. Peter,
    I truly enjoyed reading your post on copyright. Your experiences have really given me a perspective from all angles. What intrigued me was the stance the Chinese government is taking. Even though they do not have the system fined tuned, is it a step in the right direction?

    Again thanks for sharing your experiences. I will share your story with my students. Often times we don’t attach a face to the individuals we are hurting by violating copyright laws.

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  4. Peter,

    Excellent write up. It was great to hear about how Australia handles some of the issues of copyright. I grew up in Haiti and, needless to say, copyright is not exactly a big concern there. When I was very young the cable company was selling subscriptions to lots of American stations without having the rights to do so. It was not considered a big deal but eventually the networks and pay stations got them to pay for it (it reminded me of the Pirate Bay case from the Good Copy Bad Copy documentary).

    I agree with you that our Full Sail courses will be a great help to us as we move ahead into the murky waters of modern technology's clash with copyright.

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  5. Your perspective as a musician/performer is really interesting here Peter.

    What you said about the diverse reactions to ProTools reminds me of that story of the shoe salesman told here: http://blog.studygrandmaster.com/?p=491

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