Thanks for your response. This is a very interesting question.
Copyright is a severely limited bundle of rights. In the United States, there is no element of that bundle of rights that protects the integrity of a work absolutely. It's context specific.
We have no strong moral rights provision. Nor should we.
American copyright has many exceptions to that exclusive right built into the case law (and statutes). See Campbell v. Acuff Rose.
I am not calling for a revolution. If anything, I am warning about the destructive nature of both powerful dynamics of this technocultural revolution we are experiencing.
And I don't understand what you mean by "pedantic materialism."
As for the "right" not to be revised or altered, I wonder from where we derive such a right. I have never seen it established, practiced, or even asserted in the real world. Perhaps you know of some Constitutional or legal or moral principle or precedent that I have missed.
I don't believe -- nor did I write -- that "the only true alternative to something is its alternative." In fact, I try my best to escape the dialectical bind. That's what the end of the book is all about.
The dialectical makes me dizzy and nauseates me. So I strive for a grounded way forward, through the turmoil.
I suspect you would by sympathetic to my goals. I am sorry that I did not make them clearer.
I agree with almost everything you just wrote. And I plead innocent to the charge. I've been a rap fan for more than 20 years and an academic for four years. One does not cancel out the other.
"Rap music" is a conventional way to describe the music within hip-hop culture. Hip-hop culture is something much broader. Using this distinction does not detract from the meaning of either. And when I speak to DJs and producers and musicians about these issues, they use the same terminology. I take my usage guidance from them, not the other way around.
And if you actually read anything I have written about rap or hip-hop, you would know that I not only have as deep a grasp of the culture as a fan can have, but a as deep a love for it as an American can have.
If you read the slashdot interview, you will see that Haaz brought up Ice Cube, who was far from mainstream when NWA broke through. I didn't. Why are you riding me about it? And what's wrong with liking Ice Cube? The man has talent. And when he worked with Dre back when artists could make choices without lawyers and clearance officers, they both made some great stuff.
I have not only been a fan of Bammbattaa since about 1980, but I have discussed these issues with him in person. It was my love for his music that moved me to ponder the differences between it and the lame MTV shit we all have to endure since the early 1990s (actually, I think Jay Z has vocal talent, but his productions are lame).
If you are going to diss someone publicly, you should probably know something about her or him. My stuff is out there. Read it and get back to me. But until then, don't question my cred.
Very insightful article. I wrote this for MSNBC.COM.
=========
The record industry should stop blaming its customers for decreased sales. Had the industry cut a deal with Napster, it might have avoided the ungovernable chaos of decentralized peer-to-peer services now taking over the Internet, writes Siva Vaidhyanathan, a cultural historian, media scholar and author of a book on copyrights.
You will find the rest of the UK-US story in my book. The MSNBC article was condensed from a long chapter. Sorry about the fallout from condensation. It happens.
Slashdot Mirror
Thanks for your response. This is a very interesting question.
Copyright is a severely limited bundle of rights. In the United States, there is no element of that bundle of rights that protects the integrity of a work absolutely. It's context specific.
We have no strong moral rights provision. Nor should we.
American copyright has many exceptions to that exclusive right built into the case law (and statutes). See Campbell v. Acuff Rose.
Thanks for taking such an interest in my work!
Siva
I wrote pretty much what you said here. Both forms of cynicism operate. And we should not conflate them or confuse them.
Check it out. I think you will dig it.
Siva
I am not calling for a revolution. If anything, I am warning about the destructive nature of both powerful dynamics of this technocultural revolution we are experiencing.
And I don't understand what you mean by "pedantic materialism."
As for the "right" not to be revised or altered, I wonder from where we derive such a right. I have never seen it established, practiced, or even asserted in the real world. Perhaps you know of some Constitutional or legal or moral principle or precedent that I have missed.
I don't believe -- nor did I write -- that "the only true alternative to something is its alternative." In fact, I try my best to escape the dialectical bind. That's what the end of the book is all about.
The dialectical makes me dizzy and nauseates me. So I strive for a grounded way forward, through the turmoil.
I suspect you would by sympathetic to my goals. I am sorry that I did not make them clearer.
Siva
Well, I don't remember what I said. I probably made a mistake, speaking from the hip.
My bad.
Word.
Well said, Isaac.
Thanks.
Siva
I agree with almost everything you just wrote. And I plead innocent to the charge. I've been a rap fan for more than 20 years and an academic for four years. One does not cancel out the other.
"Rap music" is a conventional way to describe the music within hip-hop culture. Hip-hop culture is something much broader. Using this distinction does not detract from the meaning of either. And when I speak to DJs and producers and musicians about these issues, they use the same terminology. I take my usage guidance from them, not the other way around.
And if you actually read anything I have written about rap or hip-hop, you would know that I not only have as deep a grasp of the culture as a fan can have, but a as deep a love for it as an American can have.
If you read the slashdot interview, you will see that Haaz brought up Ice Cube, who was far from mainstream when NWA broke through. I didn't. Why are you riding me about it? And what's wrong with liking Ice Cube? The man has talent. And when he worked with Dre back when artists could make choices without lawyers and clearance officers, they both made some great stuff.
I have not only been a fan of Bammbattaa since about 1980, but I have discussed these issues with him in person. It was my love for his music that moved me to ponder the differences between it and the lame MTV shit we all have to endure since the early 1990s (actually, I think Jay Z has vocal talent, but his productions are lame).
If you are going to diss someone publicly, you should probably know something about her or him. My stuff is out there. Read it and get back to me. But until then, don't question my cred.
I beg your pardon. How do you know what I know and understand about rap and hip-hop?
Have we met? Have we discussed music and culture?
Not to be difficult, but please don't judge me based on a few dozen words in an interview.
In light of MS going after Lindows, should we expect the University of Texas to attack MS over the use of "Longhorns?"
Very insightful article. I wrote this for MSNBC.COM.
s p? /news/720946.asp
=========
The record industry should stop blaming its customers for decreased sales. Had the industry cut a deal with Napster, it might have avoided the ungovernable chaos of decentralized peer-to-peer services now taking over the Internet, writes Siva Vaidhyanathan, a cultural historian, media scholar and author of a book on copyrights.
http://www.msnbc.com/modules/exports/ct_email.a
You will find the rest of the UK-US story in my book. The MSNBC article was condensed from a long chapter. Sorry about the fallout from condensation. It happens.