sampling

I found all of our talk about sampling and copyrights very interesting and it really got me thinking about my views of sampling and some memorable and interesting cases of copyright issues in music. My view on sampling has changed over the years and it will most likely continue to change. Before a few years ago I was always very much against music that was obviously sampled. I always considered what an artist wrote to be his/her own and to recognized as his/her own. I never put much thought into how much can be sampled before copyright laws are violated. A good example of obvious sampling is the Vanilla Ice usage of the music to the Queen/David Bowie song "Under Pressure." Anyone who listens to both will automatically recognize that it’s the same and if you’ve seen the VH1 Behind the Music on Vanilla Ice and heard his argument saying they are different, you’re heard one of the dumbest arguments of all time. It’s the same, and what bothered me most about it is the fact that Vanilla Ice is fighting that it is the same. If you are going to use the work of someone else, at least give them credit for it. It’s a losing battle, people are smart enough to figure it out and you just look stupid for trying to convince us otherwise.

Another case I’ve always found interesting is the lawsuit filed against John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR). He was actually sued by his record company for plagiarizing himself. It’s probably the most ridiculous case I’ve ever heard of as far as music copyrights go. Every band and artist develops their own unique sound, at least the good ones do and that’s all this case was. The music in question sounded like John Fogerty but if you actually listen to it, the disputed guitar part wasn’t even close to being the same, which was eventually the opinion of the court. I personally don’t see how you can ever plagiarize yourself as a musical artist. I personally believe that if you want to use the same music for every song, you have every right to do so. I don’t think it will make you very much money, but if that’s what you want to do then do it.

A case of sampling that completely made me question my views was from DJ Dangermouse who created the Grey Album. It is one of the coolest things I’ve ever listened to. The Grey Album is the lyrics of Jay-Z’s Black Album combined with music from The Beatles White Album. When I first heard of it through a friend I thought I’d want to shoot myself because I’m a huge fan of The Beatles and the thought of someone sampling their music and combining it with anyone else’s was scary. Then I actually listened to the grey album and was amazed. It’s a perfect example of combining old and new to create a new form of art/music. This album made me completely question my view of sampling. I think the fact that it was so good is what made me change my mind. So, I basically have a pretty confused view of sampling. I like having people’s music protected so others have to use their own creativity, but some very creative things can be done by using other people’s music in a way it wasn’t intended.