Mashup
A Mashup is an original song composed of parts of other previously released songs. A person that creates mashups is referred to as a mashup artist. Most mashups consist of a collaboration of parts of songs in which they overlap different parts of different songs to create a unique sound. A mashup "challenges accepted legal standards for musical production and destabilizes the cultural identity of recorded music [1]."
Contents
Synonyms
A mashup can go by various names:
- Bootleg
- Smashup
- Blends
- Power mixing
- Bastard pops
History
Music sampling dates back to centuries ago. The first musical creation with similarities to mashups is digital sampling in hip hop. A hip hop song utilizes samples in as well as new material while a mashup solely uses samples. Mashups first surfaced on the internet in secrecy, with only those with special knowledge able to access them. However, today, they are now an accepted part of musical mainstream. The first appearance of mashups in the popular press was in Spin Magazine in 2002. Although the creation of a mashup can be complex, the technologies to do so became inexpensive by 2001. [2]."
Ethical Issues
Copyright Act of 1976
The Copyright Act of 1976 lists the rights of copyright holders in the United States, including several copyright provision amendments. It became a law in October 1976 and was implemented in January 1978.
Mashup artists are permitted to remake an original song as long as the new song is substantially similar to the original song. In turn, the mashup artist must pay the original artist $0.94 for every copy of the song they sell for a profit.
Asking permission to use the song is not required, as long as payment is made.[3]
Fair Use Law
There are 4 factors a piece of work being considered for infringement must go through:
- Purpose and character of the use
- Nature of the work being used
- Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the whole
- Effect on the market for the original
Mashup Artists
Girl Talk
One of the most well known artists in the mashup industry is Gregg Michael Gillis, otherwise known as Girl Talk. He studied engineering in college and then quit the industry in 2007 in order to focus solely on his music career. He is originally from Pittsburgh, PA and is one of many artists under the record label, Illegal Art, which specializes in music sampling. Other artists with Illegal Art include Junk Culture and People Like Us. Girl Talk has released five albums with Illegal Art: Secret Diary, Unstoppable, Night Ripper, Feed the Animals, and 'All Day.[4]
Girl Talk does not believe that they are violating any factor of the Fair Use Laws as the law does not specify for mashups and remixes and the length of the song that is used. Thus, Girl Talk feels that they should not have to pay the sustained artists a fee for the work they are using. However, others feel that Girl Talk is violating the Fair Use Law and should be penalized.[5]
N.W.A.
N.W.A. sampled a two-second guitar chord from Funkadelic’s “Get Off Your Ass and Jam” in which they altered the original work by deepening the chord and using it only in the background of their song, “100 Miles And Runnin”. N.W.A. did not ask for permission from Funkadelic nor did they pay compensation to Funkadelic’s record label, Bridgeport Music, yet the case was ruled not in violation of the copyright law when brought to court.[6]
Other mashup artists include Dj BC, Max Tannone, The Kleptones, Legion of Doom, Ludachrist, Easter Egg, The Hood Internet, and Super Mash Bros.
Subgenres
A vs B
This subgenre was the original intent of what a mashup was supposed to be. Such a type of mashup involved placing an a capella version of a song against the background of a different track in order to create a “third song.”
Cut Up
Such a mashup involves using a part of a previously released work that includes spoken word, rather than solely singing. The term “cut up” evolves from novelist William S. Burroughs, in which he referred to his work as cut-ups, which includes literary cut-ups and tape recorder experiments.
Glitch Pop
A collaboration between Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and pop music. *NSYNC’s “Dirty Pop” is an example of this subgenre.
Remixes
While all mashups are considered remixes, not all remixes are considered mashups. A remix uses previously released songs in collaboration with their own original material, while a mashup does not include original material in a song.
Version vs Version
The mixing of two different versions of the same song. Combining the original song with a cover of that same song is a common example. Additionally, a popular Version vs Version song is the combination of the same song in two different [7]
List of Mashups
- “Soul on Ice” by Ludachrist
- “Birds” by Easter Egg
- “One More Time To Pretend” by Immukization
- “Cooler Bites the Dust” by DJ Gaston
- "Play Your Part (Pt 1)" by Girl Talk
- "Push It Like A Dog" by Soulwax
- "Imagine A Jump" by DJ Mighty Mike
- "Dynamite Pressure" by DJ Tripp
- “Enter Telephone” by DJS From Mars[8]
References
- ↑ http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/ETD-UT-2011-05-3311/BOONE-DISSERTATION.pdf?sequence=1
- ↑ http://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/ETD-UT-2011-05-3311/BOONE-DISSERTATION.pdf?sequence=1
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_Act_of_1976#Fair_use
- ↑ http://illegal-art.net/home/artists.html
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girl_Talk_(musician)
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgeport_Music,_Inc._v._Dimension_Films
- ↑ languages.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashup_(music)#Notable_mash-up_albums
- ↑ http://www.culturebully.com/best-mashups-2010
