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Denise Howell Copyright question


G+_George Kozi
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Denise Howell Copyright question. This is a song mashup. As far as I can tell, the mashup artist uses no more than a few seconds at a time from the work of other artists. It creates something completely new out of little bits that belong to other people.

 

Question: this is perfectly legal, is it not? None of the artists whose work was used in the mashup could have any claim against the mashup artist, isn't it?

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I know this question is aimed at Denise Howell but from what I've read in the past, mashups are not fair use.  The record industry would have you believe that this is theft at the grandest scale.  Judging from the number of songs used in the video, it would be a zillion dollar fine.  :D

I've heard that if you use less than 30 seconds you're safe, but I've also heard that if you use any length sample, you're infringing.  I'm also interested to hear what Denise has to say on this.

I'm guessing that YouTube's content system hasn't flagged this because the samples used are very short and pitch/speed altered so the automated system can't match them.

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I'm a music graduate. I love music mashups. But this one just grates a little. Maybe it's because it tries to take too much music? 

 

As for legality? I think mashups are just the equivalent of the mild kleptomaniacal composers of the baroque and classical periods... and those who willingly, and openly gave credit to others for their work. 

 

If the artist is going to acknowledge the originals, then I've no problem with it :) And since most mashups are made available for free... I view it as art first and foremost. 

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The issue of unlicensed sampling continues to be controversial and mildly unsettled, legally speaking  -- i.e., it's a firm, but not conclusively firm, "just don't."  Good explanation of the present landscape here:  http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/05/what-you-need-to-know-about-sampling-music-without-a-license.html  My son heard this and loved it by the way.  It's like a game, seeing if you can pick out everything.

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