Dissertation Finished!

It has been too long since I have posted, but I have been extremely busy finishing my dissertation. I just defended the dissertation on Wednesday. You can download it here.

Themed post: Michael Jackson

As I was listening though my mashup collection I realized that I have a ton of Michael Jackson mashups.

Here are some of my favorites (in no particular order):

Norwegian Recycling - "Wanna Be Mixin' Something"
You will be hard pressed to find more King of Pop samples in one song. This mashup features 7 Michael Jackson songs and several others. For a list, and to download, visit Norwegian Recycling's website. Norwegian Recycling also made the video:




DJ Schmolli - "Jacko Breaks Free on Earth"
An excellent mashup from Austria's #1 exporter of Michael Jackson mashups (and more). Unfortunately I don't know who made this video:




Party Ben - "Promiscuous With You"
Nelly Furtado and Timbaland vs. Michael Jackson. This is a seamless mashup and a seamless video by VJ Brewski:



Go Home Productions - "Jacko Under Pressure"
Sticking with "Rock With You" a great A vs. B mashup by pioneering mashup legend Go Home Productions (a.k.a. Mark Viddler).


Mad Mix Mustang - "The Way You Got Me That Feeling"
Combining Michael Jackson with James Brown is tempting fate. Toying with two of my musical heroes could either be a colossal failure or a colossal success. Like most of Mad Mix Mustang's mashups this is the latter.


DJ Gauffie - "I Want ABC Back"
The vocals from The Jackson 5's "ABC" over the instrumentals of The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back." This is extremely well done. My mom is two years younger than Michael Jackson and grew up listening to the Jackson 5, watching their TV shows, mimicking their dance moves, and crushing on Jermaine. I played this for her and she didn't notice that it was a mashup until I pointed it out. That is the sign of a well-produced bootleg.


I encourage you to visit the artist's websites where you will find many more excellent mashups.

New York Times Racial Profiling Fail

I apologize that this is so far off topic, and that I have posted so little recently, but I saw this while reading the New York Times this morning and couldn't let it pass.

This weekend the Times ran a number of different columns reflecting on the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. One of the columns, Obama, Gates and the American Black Man, by Brown University professor Glenn Loury, discusses racial profiling and systemic discrimination against Africa-Americans, particularly black men. I have posted a screen shot below. Notice the advertisement on the right side of the picture (click for a larger image):



To be fair, this ad was almost certainly generated automatically. It could also be coincidence that this ad was generated for this particular article. That being said, running an advertisement for hair straightening products along side an Op-Ed about the injustice of racial profiling and systemic racism is, at the very least, embarrassing and strikingly ironic.

Simply incredible

I am nearly wordless in awe of this mashup project by Kutiman. The project is called Thru YOU. Kutiman has pulled dozens of videos from YouTube featuring individuals playing musical instruments and mixed them into 7 tracks/videos. Each track mashes up numerous separate YouTube videos. This is what creativity, media remixing technology, and Internet communication can do.

Here is one of the tracks:


Kutiman explains a little bit about his project in this video:


All of the videos or linked on the project website here.

This makes me giddy.

I Have A Weakness For Puns

I guess this is sort of a mashup. Not really, but I love it and I wanted to put it on the blog.

Listen To This

This has already been posted widely but in case you didn't see it this is DJ Earworm's United States of Pop 2008:

This mashup combines samples from each of the Billboard Top 25 songs of 2008. Earworm made the video as well. DJ Earworm also created a mashup combining the Billboard Top 25 songs of 2007 last year:

Both of these and many other excellent mashups can be downloaded from DJ Earworm's site.

Earworm is one of the most talented mashup artists out there. His production skills are incredible. Earworm is also the author of a mashup instruction book which is quite good although sadly not Mac compatible (he uses Sony's Acid Pro). DJ Earworm is best known for creating mashups with a large amount of samples all melded together seamlessly. However unlike other mashup artists, such as Girl Talk, that use tons of samples in a sort of frenetic collage, Earworm's mixes sound much more like recognizable songs with verses, choruses, and lyrics from multiple sources that are often tied to a common theme. For more about DJ Earworm's style check out this article from the MIT Technology Review which also features a cool "make your own mashup" tool.

Copyright Squelches Local Music

I am currently living in Providence, RI approximately 410 feet from Patrick's Pub. Pat's is an Irish pub and the only neighborhood bar in the area that you would want to go to. Aside from an excellent pint of Guinness and the traditional Irish favorite "Nachos Tipperary", the pub used to feature frequent live music from local bands, a weekly Irish music session, karaoke, and a juke box.

For those of you who, like myself, are somewhat new to the intricacies of copyright, any venue that serves food or alcohol and plays copyrighted music must pay licensing fees. For example, if a bar wants a juke box they have to pay licensing fees. The only way to legally avoid paying licensing fees is to require musicians to perform only their own original works (no covers), have a juke box that only plays music in the public domain, or simply have no music at all.

There are three main organizations that collect these licensing fees ASCAP, BMI, and SESAC. When Musician  A writes a song that he/she intends to publish Musician A will register the song with these organizations. These organizations then track the amount of times that Musician A's song is played on radio, television, on jukeboxes, or by cover bands, and give a portion of the licensing fees that they have collected from the venues that play the music (like Pat's Pub), radio stations, clubs, etc.  to Musician A. The payments to Musician A are known as royalties.

Here's the problem: there is no way that these organizations can possibly track the amount of times that a single song is played on every radio station, television station, in every bar or concert hall. So instead they use a number of variables and algorithms to determine who gets what royalties. In the end, the vast majority of the royalties collected go to a small amount of very popular musicians and their record companies. Meanwhile Musician A will likely never see any royalties from his/her work.

In other words the system is broken. In practice it is little more than a racket in which three large organizations collect a lot of money, keep some of it, and give the rest to a handful of already wealthy musicians and their even wealthier record labels. 

This is not to argue against the idea behind royalties. Musician A should get paid for his/her work. A radio station sells advertising and can charge more based on the station's popularity which is determined largely by the music that they play. A pub makes money by selling food and drinks and attracts customers, in part, with live or recorded music. Since these entities are making money due, in part, to the works of the musicians whose music they are playing, it is only fair that they should have to pay those musicians for their work.

Unfortunately, as explained above, it isn't that simple. Take Patrick's Pub as an example. I have been there on a number of occasions and never heard much in the way of Top 40 pop either performed live or on the juke box. Yet there is a very high chance that the bulk of the fees that are collected from Pat's Pub are going to those Top 40 artists. Meanwhile the musicians whose music is being played at Pat's might not be getting any money at all from the licensing fees that the pub is paying.

There is another problem with all of this and Pat's Pub again provides a good example. The owner of Patrick's, either because he was unaware or unwilling, did not pay his licensing fees and was caught. ASCAP sued Patrick's Pub for up to $120,000 in damages. This made news nationally because Pat's pub is a local hangout for many Providence politicians. This NY Times article gives a good summary of the case. Patrick's settled the case for $16,000 and is still open.

As a result of the suit, and this is the worst part, Patrick's no longer has any live music. The owner of the pub is too concerned that he may run afoul of another of the three licensing companies and so he has decided to just stop all live music. This means that local bands have one less place to play, people have one less place to come together and be a part of local music culture, there is no longer an Irish music session, the pub is unable to attract people in with music, and the reduced amount of customers along with the fine has put the pub in danger of closing.

Who does all of this serve? The profits of a select few record companies and their most popular recording artists. The system as it exists currently is not helping local musicians, it's not helping local establishments, and it is certainly not serving local communities. I used to really enjoy seeing music at Pat's Pub. It was entertaining to watch and gave a unique view into the community. Now that is gone. 

Yo-Yo Ma to Join Ashlee Simpson in Lip-Synch Hall of Fame

It turns out that the performance by Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Anthony McGill, and Gabriela Montero at the Presidential Inauguration was pre-recorded. The musicians were actually playing their instruments but the music that was broadcast over the speakers to the Mall and over the air to the world was a recording. The quartet had made the recording in advance and acted it out during the "live" performance. This article from the New York Times has more information.

As I was watching the performance I had some of the same thoughts raised in the Times article. It was hard to believe that they were able to perform so well based on the effect that the weather would have on their instruments. I also couldn't believe that any of them would put their own instruments in jeopardy of cracking.

It is interesting that the organizers of the event chose not to make it known before or during the event but waited until afterwords. It raises a question about "liveness": When Aretha Franklin performed she sang to a pre-recorded backing track complete with pre-recorded backup singers. If the back up was live we never saw the band. Additionally when the Navy Chorus sang the Star Spangled Banner we never saw them (at least not on the CNN broadcast).

In other words, the event organizers made the decision that it was more important to project an image of "live" performance for the quartet than for Aretha Franklin or the Navy Choir. Would it have been acceptable to have Yo-Yo Ma performing alone to the taped accompaniment of the rest of the quartet? I believe this is a reflection of the expectation/delusion of "authentic" performance in classical music that is not an expectation of popular music.

DJ Hero

It appears that Activision, the publisher of Guitar Hero, is set to release DJ Hero this summer. Somehow the concept of playing a guitar controller is more appealing to me than playing a turntable controller, but the game will apparently focus on creating mashups and will allow the use of Guitar Hero controllers alongside the turntable.

For more about the game go here or here.

Several members of the mashup community have been involved in the making of this game which is a good sign. The game is being developed in the U.K. which is home to an abundance of great mashup artists. 

I am now officially one step closer to buying a new video game system.

New News and Old News

I apologize for my lack of posting recently. I just moved across the country to Providence, Rhode Island where milkshakes are called cabinets. Fortunately I don't have to worry about what milkshakes are called because it is about 20 degrees here and snowing and only a crazy person would want a milkshake*.

But enough about me, here are some links to interesting stories that have happened over the last few weeks:

-Charles Nesson, a law professor at Harvard, has launched a law suit against the RIAA. Nesson contests that the lawsuits filed by the RIAA against music downloaders were unconstitutional. You can read more here and even more on Professor Nesson's blog. The case is set to start this Thursday. 

-The RIAA has decided to stop suing its customers! However the association will continue with any lawsuits that have already been filed (much to the dismay of one Charles Nesson).

-The European Union is considering a copyright extension that its own studies have sown to be misguided. This video by the Open Rights Group gives a good explanation of the proposal and its downsides.

*That's a lie I wanted a milkshake earlier today and yesterday.

Early Mashup

There are too many complications to claim that any one song is the "first" mashup. However, "Mission Impossible / Norwegian Wood" by the Alan Copeland Singers is one of the earliest that I know of. I came across this through Kembrew McLeod's article "Confessions of an Intellectual (Property)" as well as a comment posted on GYBO (Get You Bootleg On) by Timbearland. 

The song was arranged by Alan Copeland. The vocals were recorded, apparently, by The Alan Copeland Singers. I do not know anything more about the production of this track. 

Alan Copeland won the "Best Contemporary Pop Performance, Chorus" Grammy Award in 1968 for "Mission Impossible / Norwegian Wood." You can download this excerpt from the track at Mr. Copeland's website.

While I can't be sure, it sounds like both the vocal and instrumental sections of the track have been spliced to fit together (as opposed to being performed live or recorded live). The form of the track (A vs. B) and the method of construction (or my best guess at it) both fit perfectly with contemporary ideas about what makes a mashup.

Listen To This (Easy Like Lionel Richie Edition)

If you don't have a soft spot for Lionel Richie you're crazy. Here are four great mashups featuring The Commodore's "Easy Like Sunday Morning." All of the tracks can be downloaded from the mashup artists' websites.

"Easy Heaven" by BRAT Productions. Lionel vs. The Cure.

"Easy Wall" by DJ Lobsterdust. Lionel vs. Oasis.

"Take It Easy On Me" by MadMixMustang. Lionel vs. A-Ha.

"Easily Hurt" by Bobby Martini. Lionel vs. Christina Aguilera.

Digital sales outnumber CD sales at Atlantic Records

For the first time digital sales have outnumbered physical record sales at a major recording company. Here is an interesting NY Times article about the milestone (featuring the graph above). 

It is no wonder that the RIAA and the record companies that they represent are fighting so hard to stem the tide of digital media. As the Times article demonstrates, they have not figured out how to make money from digital downloads (or at least not enough). Rather than devote their time to reconfiguring their business models to fit new consumer trends, they are litigating to try to delay the inevitable. 

It is reminiscent of the American auto industry. For years analysts and consumers have been telling the industry that they want higher quality, more fuel efficient cars. Rather than retool and give the consumer what they wanted the American auto industry used their lobbying power to win tax incentives that allowed them to keep creating ridiculously outmoded vehicles

(subsidized by tax dollars).

Consumers and industry analysts are telling the major recording companies (as well as television, film, and news corporations) that they want easy access to the media of their choice on their own schedule. Consumers don't want to pay $19.00 for a CD that only has one song that they want on it. They want to pay $1.00 for the single on their computer. I don't think this is a trend that will be changing anytime soon. Yet recording companies continue to create the same ridiculously outmoded albums complete with antiquated publicity and lavish recording costs. 

Rather than compete for the business of consumers, media corporations, like the American auto industry, are attempting to use their powerful lobbyists and lawyers to protect their failing business models.

Amazing Hot Dog Launcher

I saw this today at BoingBoing Gadgets. As far as I am concerned this may be the greatest invention of all time. No wonder the Phillies won the World Series.

A mashup of sorts

Listen To This

It just dawned on me that in a blog about mashups I have not yet posted any actual mashups. Beginning today I am going to be periodically posting noteworthy mashups that I have been listening to. 

The first is "Stayin' Alive in The Wall" by Wax Audio. The track is a mashup of the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive" and Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in The Wall Pt. II." 

This track has great production values. The samples both sound clean, clear, and crisp and are blended together seamlessly. This mashup has a terrific chorus and even uses David Gilmour's guitar solo.

You can download this track from Wax Audio's site.

Post Election Bliss

My friend Cliff Murphy pointed out that I have not posted anything in a while. I blame the election. I was so wrapped up in it that when the election was finally called I needed to take a little break from all media. It is similar to the Olympics. For two weeks I watch hours and hours of television every day and then when the Olympics are over I don't want to see a TV for weeks. The difference is that this election lasted two years. 

I am beginning to make my way back to my normal life. I read the NY Times for the first time again today. In fact, there is a very interesting article about the possible demise of the "Southern Strategy" that Republicans since Nixon have been using to win the South. The article also speculates that the South voted so strongly for McCain (while the rest of the country went blue) that the political influence of the South may have taken a big hit. The Times provides compelling visual evidence off this as well.

Map of counties that voted more heavily Republican than in 2004:

National county map showing change in voting since 2004:

Another Copyright Documentary

There is a new documentary coming out centered around copyright, remixing, and, like Good Copy, Bad Copy, featuring Girl Talk. The new film is called RiP: A Remix Manifesto. It is not finished yet but I would imagine that it will be available for download once it is complete. The director, Brett Gaylor, has an interesting blog post about Go Home Productions. I don't know if the film will focus just on Girl Talk or more broadly on the mashup community, but it looks promising.

From the project website:

In RiP: A remix manifesto, Web activist and filmmaker Brett Gaylor explores issues of copyright in the information age, mashing up the media landscape of the 20th century and shattering the wall between users and producers.

The film’s central protagonist is Girl Talk, a mash-up musician topping the charts with his sample-based songs. But is Girl Talk a paragon of people power or the Pied Piper of piracy? Creative Commons founder, Lawrence Lessig, Brazil's Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil and pop culture criticCory Doctorow are also along for the ride.

A participatory media experiment, from day one, Brett shares his raw footage at opensourcecinema.org, for anyone to remix. This movie-as-mash-up method allows these remixes to become an integral part of the film. With RiP: A remix manifesto, Gaylor and Girl Talk sound an urgent alarm and draw the lines of battle.

Entertaining Documentary about Copyright

In case you haven't already seen it, Good Copy Bad Copy is a concise examination of the current state of copyright law. The documentary looks at several different ways that intellectual property rights are handled around the world and also offers some possible alternatives like Creative Commons. Another interesting alternative is a blanket licensing fee paid either to the telecom companies or in the form of a government tax. The proceeds would be distributed to the various companies that hold copyrights and then all the copyrighted content that they produce would be freely available. It seems improbable that this could take hold in the United States given the extreme fear of anything remotely socialist (unless it involves taking over banks and mortgages), but it is a fascinating alternative. It seems to me that no matter what your opinion of the need for copyright protection there is something wrong with a system that requires a 57 page EULA agreement to watch a children's Disney film.
You can stream the documentary Good Copy Bad Copy or download it via (a remarkably fast) torrent.

Girl Talk on NPR

There are a lot of differing opinions about Girl Talk. I think that most people would agree that he is probably one of the most well known mashup artists around. He was interviewed on NPR yesterday afternoon. The interview is not in depth but he has some interesting comments about not paying for samples. You can listen here.