I've been following this debate with a modicum of interest. I'm sorry I didn't
download the track earlier, the link is now dead. I didn't read it closely
enough at first as I was in Bangkok airport... You used Dev/Null - awesome! I
know he'd be stoked you used and distributed it, and we'd both love to
actually hear the mix. Andrew, please contact me off-list with a link.
As to the actual debate about copyright, I feel certain people are missing the
point of DJ's. DJ's play *other peoples* music. That is their primary
function. *Some* DJ's are also producers, and mix in their own work with a
set, but that is neither the norm nor their mainstay. People who play totally
orignal music are known as *artists* and typically have a clear delineation
from DJ's. I've been known to use some of my own beats in a set, but I
guarantee that without playing other peoples music I wouldn't get any gigs.
Likewise if I was merely a Jukebox who played the full song as the artist
released I would quickly be replaced by XMMS + crossover plugin. Mixing it up
varies from simple crossovers and beat mixing to sampling to overlays... the
extent of the mix is only relevant to the moment. It is all valid.
Considering Andrew used a DJ mixing program, {openly} played other peoples
music and did it all live, I think that places him {at least for this track}
firmly in the DJ camp.
Ah! But he didn't just play it live in a club or on radio, he put it online.
That is a rather normal thing to do. We used to regularly record our live
sets and stick them online after a show. I would send artists emails pointing
them to it, because I figured they'd like to hear it. Of all the artists who
responded I never once got a reply questioning my right to do this. True, I
was never really into playing major label artists, but the point is that the
artists understood this was an essential part of the game and welcomed the
exposure. Often it was a good way to get sent free and pre-release CD's.
Applying the minutae of copyright law to small-time DJ's is inappropriate and
counter to industry norms. Once you start *selling* a mixed CD you enter a
whole new arena, but we're not seeing that in this case. DJ's mixing and
mashing is a vibrant, fun and important part of the audio eco-system.
Distributing your mixes is known as 'sharing' or possibly 'marketing' -
not 'stealing' or 'copyright infringement'. I say go for it!
- Noven
--
-- Novensiles divi Flamen
>-- Miles Militis Fons --<
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