Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Ottmar Liebert on Copyright, Intellectual Property I tend to agree with Ottmar Liebert on this issue. Works of art are like a body created. The body of work is protected by rights and the law. Some art and music can be free and open if it is given by the artist. I encourage artists to give because it helps others create, but a work of art is protected by natural rights. Copyright is a basic thing. In turn, it is copyright that makes the free and open material valuable. I admit I don't know all of the details of the debate, but so far I haven't found anti-copyright arguments compelling. - Gary Boing Boing is grey. Music: La Semana work mixes Mood: perplexed Kottke's got the right approach: I can't afford the bandwidth to mirror the Grey Album, but Boing Boing is going grey for 24h to protest EMI/Capitol's heavy-handed response to DJ Danger Mouse's brilliant Grey Album project. Apologies for reduced legibility. kottke.org is grey today because I believe that musical sampling without prior consent of the copyright holder should be legally allowed because it does our society more good than harm. [BoingBoing] 1. Are you saying that anybody should be allowed to say take my instrumental music, add some rapping or singing and sell the resulting work? 2. Are you saying any corporation or even a politician should be allowed to get creative with my work by adding words or content? 3. Or are you saying that it is OK as long as the resulting music is not sold? I think the problem with writers is that they are in a solitary and inexpensive profession. All they need is a typewriter or computer and time to write... - well, music is not like that. Our instruments are expensive, rehearsal time can be expensive, studio-time sure as heck is expensive, hiring other musicians is expensive, and if you need the services of an engineer or producer that will cost you an arm and a leg as well....Did you know that a percussionist can charge for each regional drum he is playing? If somebody played two brazilian drums, an African drum, and an Indian drum during a session, he can charge triple scale. And, why do you think there are so few new classical orchestral works recorded every year? Because classical music rarely sells enough CDs to break even, since an orchestra recording costs around a million bucks. So, while your expenses are limited to the morning latte and maybe internet access for research, an album can very easily cost 100,000 to make and often much more - and that's before it goes into manufacturing and all of he expenses associated with that. Let's see....Book - free, Record - 100,000 bucks, hm... Do you still feel that anybody should be allowed to use a musicians work and add to it at will and without permission? I do agree that copyright is going too far at present, but there has to be a difference between quoting a few paragraphs of a book, which cost nothing to create, and sampling a section of a piece of music that cost a lot of money to produce. Lawrence Lessig wrote this today: 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. But the cover right does not cover a remix. So DJ Danger Mouse must, under the law, ask permission before he can practice his art. Some artists think this is fair. Some don't like the idea of their work used without permission. What if Disney remixed DJ Danger Mouse into a re-release of Mickey-jailed-since-1928-Mouse, without asking or paying first? (emphasis added) Well, I think there is a huge, a gigantic difference between re-performing and re-recording and thereby re-creating a sound or a composition, a so-called "cover", and simply sampling that composition. If you re-create and re-record a sound, you are adding your own sweat and work into the fray, if you sample you add nothing. Music is not free, because it costs money and sweat and a lot of time to record. PS: I sample my own work all the time and have a rather large library of my own sounds I can always use. PPS: I have no problem with artists choosing to let others sample their work. I think that is a fine choice to make, but any artist should also have the right to deny other people to sample their sound. A few years ago I denied one pop star's producer the usage of a sample from Heart Still Beating, not because I am opposed to sampling, but because I didn't like how the sample was being used. I have allowed other artists to use other samples of my work and strongly believe that I should have the right to make that decision every time based on whatever criteria I choose. [Ottmar Liebert] 10:51:40 PM

Phoenix Coyotes Fire Bob Francis Bob is a good coach and we wish him all the best in the future. Phoenix Coyote GM Michael Barnett lowers the axe on coach Bob Francis Bob Francis was fired as coach of the struggling Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday after leading the team to the playoffs twice in the last four seasons. The Coyotes have won just ... [AZplace] 9:46:33 PM

Public Relations / PR Opinions Weblog It was all much better in my day.... We should all learn from the lessons of the past. That's been written so many times it is practically a cliche. I am always interested in discovering about how Public Relations was practised in the past.  I'm sure there's a lot of knowledge that could be applied today and probably a lot that's irrelevant. Bringing together the best traditional PR practices with the latest communications tools and technologies is the responsibility of every PR practitioner.  Whether it's communicating online via e-mail or using blogs, many new developments can help the PR process become more effective. Two PR-related stories prompted this ramble. First of all, Aaron D. Cushman a retired Chicago PR man who started his career in the 1940's has published a book that's part handbook and part biography. From the article in Chicago Sun Times is appears Mr. Cushman was first and foremost a publicist. He bemoans the lack of creativity in PR: "Many of the young people entering the business today can write, Cushman said, "but there are very few idea people." Though he was probably heartened to see Janet's performance at the superbowl. Ah yes the age old publicity stunt. And Mr. Cushman isn't impressed by practitioners today: Planned or not, a lot of the fun seems to have gone out of the public relations business in the years since Cushman's exit. Now it's a more buttoned-down, altogether duller affair filled with rote press releases, and many young practitioners who don't seem to share Cushman's zest for the business. Or his professional savvy. Unfortunately, I don't get much opportunity to have wildlife attend product launches.... But he does offer some sound advice such as.. "knowing columnists' styles and deadlines, leveling with editorial contacts, and being scrupulously fair." All good right and true in my humble opinion. Then I discovered a fantastic story in the Tallahassee Democrat on how new technology is influencing PR practices in the legislative process. "If you're not using the latest technology and every tool available," says (Karen) Moore (of Moore Consulting), "then you are short-changing your client." Instant communication means lawmakers can be in constant touch with constituents, and lobbyists can see the latest tracking polls. But for all of the technological advances, there is one constant that remains unchanged and critical to the success of any public-relations campaign, says Gail Stansberry-Ziffer of Ziffer Marketing & Communications. "I think the human touch is much more important," says Stansberry-Ziffer, who counts Anheuser-Busch among her firm's clients. "It's important to maintain that personal contact with people." I think that sums it up nicely.  Our challenge, ladies and gentlemen, is to take the very best traditional practices of our profession and marry them with new technology that can help us to reach our audience(s) faster and more efficiently.  There is still room for the PR stunts, creativity, structured analysis, strong writing skills and the art of oration. But today we also have a whole new toolkit to deliver that information. Now that's good news. [PR Opinions] 9:36:37 PM

American Revolution Center at Valley Forge A museum molded for Valley Forge. The task facing architect Robert A.M. Stern was daunting: design a museum to tell the story of the American Revolution but not interfere with the historic landscape at Valley Forge. [The Philadelphia Inquirer Online - Front Page] 5:12:09 PM

BLOW-UP by Michelangelo Antonioni BLOW-UP by Michelangelo Antonioni now on DVD. Antonioni's Blow-Up has been released on Digital Video Disk (DVD). There's a commentary track by Antonioni scholar Peter Brunette (author of The Films of Michelangelo Antonioni), but I prefer J. Hoberman's excellent discussion in The Dream Life instead. [Greg Allen] • Rent BLOW UP from Greencine. • BUY the DVD of BLOW-UP at Amazon.com. Your purchase through this link supports Cinema Minima. • BLOW-UP in Internet Movie Database • BLOW-UP in Movie Review Query Engine • Michelangelo Antonioni [Cinema Minima] 2:50:46 PM

John Cale and Siouxie Sioux One, Two, Dee, Four. John Cale and Siouxie Sioux performing 'Gun' [MP3]. I picked up a doctor - he's good with a knife Says anaesthetic's a waste of his time Works in a hurry but always worthwhile Knows they won't be back for a long long time [The Cartoonist] 10:50:47 AM

Gas Prices Moving Up Gas price heads for summer $2. Tucson drivers should prepare to pay $2 per gallon for regular gasoline this summer, the AAA travel club warned on Monday. That price would break the previous record high in Pima County, about $1.85... [Arizona Daily Star: Front Page] 10:41:21 AM

Shadows Chasing Shadows. BU professor Ray Carney tells about his maniacal decades-long search for a copy of the "original version" of John Cassavetes' first feature, Shadows, in a riveting, suspenseful, and enlightening Guardian article. It feels like he doesn't leave out a single twist or turn (i.e., it's both entertaining and long). Here's the trailer: Cassavetes was so displeased with audience reaction to late 1958 screenings of Shadows, he re-shot much of the footage in early 1959 and re-edited it with some "original" footage to make the version we know today, aka the "second version." With little more than a passing mention of a single, existing print of the "original version" to go on, Carney embarked on an increasingly ridiculous search for "the holy grail of Independent Cinema." When that wore thin, he took to reconstructing the original "from the inside" by interviewing all the cast, crew, and audience members he could find, and by scouring the second version for minute forensic evidence--including, literally, comparing the length of shadows in each shot to determine the time of day--of Cassavetes' shooting and editing choices. The result: Carney's now the go-to guy for Cassavettes' process, and at least he published a book in 2001 with BFI. Whatever of the outcome; the article makes for great reading. Buy Shadows--the second version--on DVD. Check out Carney's acadamn fine fan site, cassavetes.com. [greg.org: about making films] 7:32:38 AM