Jared Bulahan November 16th, 2013 First Year Composition Professor udlo!

"#attson Cop$ri%ht &nfrin%ement " #i'tapes &n toda$(s modern a%e, the musi) industr$ has )han%ed dramati)all$ !hen )ompared !ith ho! the industr$ !as in the past* +e)hnolo%i)al advan)es and brea,throu%hs !ith musi) re)ordin%, produ)in%, editin%, and masterin% e-uipment has allo!ed the industr$ to %o to ne! hei%hts never rea)hed before the di%ital leap* .ith these ne! advan)es and benefits, )ome ne! problems and )onse-uen)es* +he most prevalent situation that )an be seen as either a pla%ue or form of flatter$ is musi)al and l$ri)al samplin%* +hat is, one artist usin% a spe)ifi) instrumental or beat that another artist has )reated as their o!n, and mi'in% it to their o!n li,in%* +his hotl$ debated issue is ver$ )ommon in spe)ifi) musi)al %enres, espe)iall$ /meri)an hip hop and rap musi)* 0appers )an release a )olle)tion of their o!n musi) )alled mi'tapes, and )an )hoose to not profit at all be)ause the$ )an and mostl$ are free for their fans* /lthou%h seen as an overall problem rather than blessin% b$ a ma1orit$ of the musi) indsutr$, & personall$ thin, that sin)e the artist themselves are not ma,in% an$ mone$ !hen usin% and samplin% other people(s !or,, that this t$pe of )op$ri%ht infrin%ement should not be su)h a ne%ative issue in the musi) industr$, and )an even be seen as a form of flatter$ or a )ompliment for artists* Cop$ri%ht infrin%ement is basi)all$ a le%al tool for the ori%inal artist to be prote)ted a%ainst an$one from usin% their !or, and ma,in% mone$ off it and )reatin% su))ess of !hat is not seen as theirs* /n e'ample !ould be if an independent artist )reated a son% and sa$, a bi% rapper sampled it in their hit sin%le, that independent artist has the ri%ht to sue and %et some sort of monetar$ )ompensation for the samplin%* Cop$ri%ht infrin%ement is obviousl$ a hotl$ debated topi), and )an even be seen and interpreted as an almost %reed$ a)tion, !ith the ori%inal artist not allo!in% their !or, to be en1o$ed b$ man$ more people, !ithout their )onsent* +his ar%ument is !hat supporters of mi'tapes fo)us and )apitali2e on* 3amplin% one artist(s !or, as another artist allo!s more people to e'perien)e and en1o$ the musi) as a !hole, no matter !hat remi' it is or !ho is on the tra),* 4spe)iall$ !ith the mi'tapes bein% free and ma,in% absolutel$ no profit off the release, the industr$ and its )riti)s should not be so an%r$ about a little flatter$* 4ven !hen samplin% first started off ba), durin% the 1560s and 1550s !ith re)ord turntables and s)rat)hin%, at the time it seemed that artists !ere more about ma,in% %ood musi) for their fans to listen to rather than mone$ for themselves* #ore often than not, the tapes themselves %ive the le%al )redit !here it is due, and )ite !here or !ho their son% is sampled off of* For e'ample, the rapper il .a$ne has released numerous mi'tapes that )ite sour)es, su)h as his ver$ popular mi'tape No Ceilings* &n an intervie!, the rapper himself %ave )redit to !ho one of the beats and instrumentals !ere from, su)h as 78& have al!a$s been a bi% fan of Be$on)e8her musi) is fun to spit off of**9 +his seemin%l$ minute detail is often overloo,ed b$ )riti)s, %enerali2in% the artists that do not )ite sour)es !ith the artists that do* B$ all means, sin)e the industr$ is so lar%e, there !ill al!a$s be those !ho do not %ive )redit !here it is due, but one should not i%nore the

blatant fa)t that most artists have that simple respe)t* /lso, superstars rappers li,e .i2 :halifa or Curren;$ state in their tra),s( titles !ho produ)ed the ori%inal son% or instrumental, and sometimes even shout them out in the son% itself* <verall, & thin, these various aspe)ts provide more than enou%h ba),in% for artists to )ontinue sample, and should not be seen as a ma1or problem or pla%ue in the industr$ or for artists !ho %et sampled* *
Bulahan 2