The Grey Album - Illegal art?
The Grey Album is an art project/experiment that uses the full vocal
content of
Jay-Z’s Black Album recorded over new beats and production
made using the
Beatles White Album as the sole source material.
Danger Mouse insists he can
explain and prove that all the music
on the Grey Album can be traced back to
the White Album and its
musical content via sampling. Every kick, snare, and
chord is taken
from the Beatles White Album and is in their original
recording somewhere.
———————
DJ Danger Mouse is
doing a good thing here and EMI
is trying to stop him, and served him a Cease-and-desist
order.
I originally heard about this story on Andy
Baio’s Site (Waxy.org)
Apparently EMI is attempting to use the DMCA
to stop DJ Danger Mouse from doing this.
Fight back! You can download the entire album
here, as well as here. If I
can, I may make it available here too. Stay tuned.
Update:Here is what Lawrence Lessig says about it.
March 1st, 2004 at 1:49 pm
uhm…
i almost can not believe my eyes… i, for one, am getting sick and f*cking tired of rappers using “good music” to make their rap-crap better. i’m tired of finding out some a$$hat has sampled classic music PERIOD. if you can’t f*cking come up with your own $hit - get off the mic…
*jumps off soap box*
March 1st, 2004 at 1:52 pm
Well actually, Jay-Z didn’t remake this. He had nothing to do with it. DJ Danger Mouse did this on his own. He did it without permission from JayZ OR the Beatles.
Aren’t DJ’s supposed to remix stuff?
March 1st, 2004 at 1:57 pm
props to Jay-Z for writing his own material. i was making a broad based generalization about all rappers. this post ruffled my feathers because it happens a lot that rappers and dj’s sample things from other sources and get paid for it…
last time i checked, a dj was a disk jockey - which means putting in the disk and hitting play. dj’s getting paid for spinning someone else’s disks a different way than they were released are….?
the people i detest.
come up with your own beats. write your own music. if you have the energy to stand in front of some turntables and make wiggly motions with your hands, why not compose an actual song?? something that is all YOU??
March 1st, 2004 at 2:00 pm
I see your point of view, and raise you mine.:
Under American law, you don’t need permission to make a cover album. That freedom has been assured since 1909 when Congress granted creators a compulsory right to remake music, so long as a small fee was paid. The record companies have fought hard to defend that compulsory right. As a 1967 Congressional report put it:
(taken from http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/001754.shtml)
March 1st, 2004 at 2:02 pm
*crosses arms and pouts*
i still think it f*cking sucks that those bastards can get away with bastardizing the beatles.
that is all.
March 1st, 2004 at 2:04 pm
against my own defense:
The cover right does not cover a remix. So DJ Danger Mouse must, under the law, ask permission before he can practice his art.
March 1st, 2004 at 2:05 pm
art schmart. i dont put paint in my ass and fart and call it art…
March 1st, 2004 at 2:07 pm
Do You smell that?
March 1st, 2004 at 10:32 pm
I agree, I hate when I hear a classic oldie used as a new song. I also hate when the first song you hear from a new artist is a hit from an old one. Something tells me that maybe the law should change about “covering” someone elses song. What is that smell
March 1st, 2004 at 10:37 pm
I am thinking about recording a song call “Desperado”. I think it will be a hit. Hey what is that smell.
March 2nd, 2004 at 6:49 am
Even if you don’t like this particular remix, or even hip-hop in general, remember what the album represents: the universe of creative works stifled by the United States’ archaic copyright laws and the corporations that lobbied for them.
March 2nd, 2004 at 9:52 am
You mean the creative works of someone else, used by the creative mind to borrow the song
March 2nd, 2004 at 9:54 am
Yes, exactly. Hey, what is that smell?
March 2nd, 2004 at 12:14 pm
My dog pisses on the carpet
March 2nd, 2004 at 1:01 pm
No no no.. look at comment #7
March 2nd, 2004 at 5:49 pm
I know i was kidding, but my dog does piss on the carpet
March 3rd, 2004 at 1:20 pm
Still? tie his ass up outside.
March 4th, 2004 at 8:51 am
He is getting better, Besides if I tie him up PETA will be banging down me door
March 6th, 2004 at 10:23 am
PETA doesn’t care. They just don’t want you to eat him. The ASPCA might care though.
March 8th, 2004 at 4:39 pm
Peta says we shouldnt drink milk. they also complain about the way animals are treated in the movies. Next they will want animals to vote.
November 16th, 2004 at 2:17 pm
I don’t agree that this album should be stopped but I do think they should try to be more original. Stealing from other musicians doesn’t make you great creating something that others steal, well thats what it’s all about now isn’t it.