Classroom blog post

Nathan Lindahl had this to say about copyright law: "The goal of a law should be that ensures and maintains a healthy culture. Sometimes that means providing for those who don’t have too much."
As a graphic designer for the student involvement office, I deal with the Washington State University copyright policies quite frequently.  WSU has clear and distinct rules regarding the WSU cougar head logo and the Washington State University letterhead.  The goal of these rules is to preserve the integrity of the logo and the reputation of the school.  Explained simply, the main regulations state that the cougar head cannot "eat" or "wear" anything; it can not have anything placed in it's mouth and it can not have anything following the curve of its back.  Although these rules are not providing anything for anyone, they contribute positively to a healthy culture.  WSU resides in a small town and has gotten a bad reputation in the past for the social lives of the students however the logo has been a steadfast and long standing aspect of WSU culture.  It deserves to be treated with respect and these regulations are securing the integrity of the logo and what it represents.  I think copyright law has some definite flaws, can cause trouble and can be down right confusing but when it comes to WSU, copyright law is a blessing in disguise.

Blog Post 5

The film that was viewed in class today (Monday, September 24) had more impact on my learning than any of the other lessons.  It was clear that the filmmakers wanted to show all ranges personal experiences and opinions of those who are involved in music sampling genre.  The film had extensive interviews with Clyde Stubblefield, a drummer who created some of the most interesting beats in percussion history.  While working with James Brown in the late 60's, Stubblefield created a unique sound that has been utilized by modern day sample artists and DJ's.  Stubblefield explained in the film that he would rather have his name on the album than any monetary compensation (which he has never received).

One of the biggest issues regarding copyright and music sampling is the amount of media that is used, which can be as small as one or two beats and the amount of tinkering the artists do with it.  All of the copyright law that has been written previously had never set precedence for such small clips of media that no longer sound like the original.  This confusion is similar to the situation Lessig describes on page 101 of "Free Culture".  He explains, "The problem was that neither Alben nor Slade had any idea what clearing those rights would mean. Every actor in each of the films could have a claim to royalties for the reuse of that film. But CDROMs had not been specified in the contracts for the actors, so there was no clear way to know just what Starwave was to do."  Since James Brown himself owned the rights to a number of Stubblefield’s drum clips, even if music samplers wouldn’t have any legal obligation to pay Stubblefield.  It comes down to the impact that small sound clip has on the final product and how much it infringes on the original.  In the case of Stubblefield’s beats, they certainly made an impact on the success of the music they were added to however it does not appear to detract from Stubblefield’s original piece. 

In addition to the clip itself, the performance must also be considered.  If a music sampler has a sound in his library that he can access at anytime then he has already taken the first step into the gray area of copyright law.  Does the performance of a single sound that has been digitally altered fall under copyright law?  If it isn't being recorded, the sound should not fall under copyright infringement.  Although the performer of the sound can claim it, if it is changed beyond recognition then it has been transformed into a new piece of art.

Blog post 4

I found this photo while using the website "stumbleupon" it is modeled after the famous photo taken on February 23, 1945 when the U.S. successfully captured the Japanese island of Iwo Jima.  Lessig references the pirating of online music by saying, "The difference is, of course, that when you take a book from Barnes & Noble, it has one less book to sell. By contrast, when you take an MP3 from a computer network, there is not one less CD that can be sold. The physics of piracy of the intangible are different from the physics of piracy of the tangible."  I think this says a lot about art and society.  Our society develops art as a way to communicate with each other; whether through a song about love or a photograph depicting war.  It is in human nature to be inspired by the things we see around ourselves.  This photo is an example of the positive aspect of piracy.  It is a reference to the fight of war however it isn't referring to war in the traditional sense of combat.  It depicts the loss of war and conflict; how the two things can be so destructive that although a few may win, so many will surely lose.  The creation of art, music and culture in general is dependent on growth and creation of physical material.  What Lessig suggests about taking the tangible as wrong may be true morally however, if morals were followed to the T, every second of every day, our society would get nowhere.  We would be stagnant, waiting for what will never come which is reaction to experiences, events and emotions.  Piracy is needed for development and although one may lose a little in the war of piracy, many will surely win.

Blog Post 2

Certainly the organization of the recorded information society has accumulated over the years is a constant struggle.  With the amount of research done every day and the scientific progress (not to mention other mediums of enlightenment, art and political changes), finding order in the chaos of information takes patience few of us have.  I'm going to focus however not on the organization of information but its history of what and how it was recorded.

In the first half of Bush's article, "As We May Think," he describes how recording information is only half of it.  Without an audience to listen, understand and expand on, progress has little chance.  Human education started verbally; without any means of recording the information memorization was used to remember.  As our society grew the amount of available and even useful information was far too abundant of the capacity of the human brain.  Written language helped humans specialize. Bush describes stenography and photography as the most widely used forms of recording information.  "Today we make the record conventionally by writing and photography, followed by printing; but we also record on film, on wax disks, and on magnetic wires."  Although photography and written record have their benefits, sound recordings are sometimes over looked.

Photographs can catch the sight of fear and a news report can record how the reporter viewed a scene and even get quotes from victims and witnesses but a sound recording can demonstrate emotion on another level.  An individual's voice can be quite transparent especially during a high energy situation.  In 1856, Leon Scott de Martinville successfully recorded 10 second sound bite using a device that etched glass based on sound waves.  In "Some Recorded Thoughts on Recorded Objects," Dellaira explores how recording sound changed certain aspects of society.  Music has been influenced the most by the ability to record sound.

Before sound recording, live music face to face was the only manifestation of itself.  Since specialization and talent flourishes as society does, music has become a form of wealth.  Owning music in the form of recordings meant the owner could afford it.  As the music industry proliferated, artists, producers and anyone else involved in the recording and distribution of recorded music prospered as well.  Sound recording has shaped our country in more ways than just music.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a Dream" speech can be moving if read on paper but it is the emotion in the recording of his voice that inspires millions of people over 30 years after it was given.

Sound recordings can now be stored digitally and take up very little space however before digitization, storing sound recordings was difficult and organization was tedious.  As we move into the digital world, organization of information becomes easier simply with Ctrl F (or Command F on Mac's).  Simply finding a specific word can be daunting however.  A single word can have so many different meanings especially in the English language; it's the relationship between words that changes a random collection of symbols into an understandable thought.  With an infinite number of "word relationships" out there, finding the information you're looking for becomes more and more difficult each day.  Search engines are thriving and although some information may get lost, it's all out there, waiting to be read.

Some Recorded Thoughts on Recorded Objects

Michael Dellaira

Perspectives of New Music , Vol. 33, No. 1/2 (Winter - Summer, 1995), pp. 192-207