http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYrfNaCbFPg

Blog 12

The film "Rip" was a documentary film about the outdated copyright laws in America. It goes to show how corruption in the media industry has made the creation of art more and more difficult. There are many scenarios that show how copyright laws are not only making the creation of art more difficult, but in some cases is preventing scientific advancements.

Lawrence Lessig talks about such issues in his book, Remix. One main point i picked up on that is shared in both, is our inability to create new works from the past. There is an example of a man who tries to draw an adult version of Mickey Mouse, only to be "destroyed" by the Disney Corp. But in reality, most Disney classics are rip off of other older stories...so who's right?

Both do agree though, that while there should be laws in place, it is vital that we update our laws to keep up with the fast pace technology world that we live in, where the sharing of any kind of information is virtually easy as 1,2,3.

Blog 11

A commercial economy is defined as the exchange in terms of a price. On the other hand, a sharing economy is defined in terms of the value of an object or service compared to another. In a sharing economy goods are also traded for their value not for their monetary value.

These two different economies are used to train us to deal with the dispersion and exchange of goods and services. We swap thing amongst one another in a sharing economy while we trade money for other things in a commercial economy. Simply just buying something at the store is a good example of a commercial economy, while a site like wikipedia is a good example of a sharing economy, where you can use the site for information as well as upload information for others to use.

These two economies are important to Lessig's main argument. He wants to show that while both economies matter to one another, they cannot exist without the other. This is quite similar to the RO/RW argument Lessig brings up and how the complete understanding of these two economies can lead to better business success online.

Blog 10

I found this remix to be really interesting: http://www.themusicninja.com/hip-hop-led-zeppelin-stairway-to-hip-hop-heaven-gramatik-remix/

I liked this song because I felt it encompassed much of what Lessig was talking about the "digital cupboard", where only a few separate ingredients create one dish, but when new ingredients are added, it can change the dish completely. This remix caught my attention right away as I am a big fan of Led Zeppelin, and an avid fan of remixed music. This new song by the producer Gramatik, provides listeners with another mellow yet bubbly remix.

Another point that I might relate my song to is when Lessig states "the meaning comes not from the content of what they say; it comes from the reference." Most people, when browsing through their music collection usually stop and enjoy some Led Zeppelin (if they know whats right for them), because the already know that it is enjoyable music. When remixes emerge using popular songs such as Stairway to Heaven, people seem to stop and listen only because they have heard the original before.

Blog 9

Lawrence Lessig really tries to open one's eyes with the introduction to his book: Remix: Making Art and Commerce Thrive in the Hybrid Ecomomy, takes a look at different examples of how the recording industry has led itself the becoming the "police" of the music world, who are trying to stop others from breaking the copyright laws that are in place for our country. Girl Talk is an up and coming musician who is breaking all the boundries by creating "mash-ups" of hundreds of songs into one. According to Lessig, this is how "our" generation goes about creating new things, by building on the past.

Lessig states that the difference between a RW culture and RO culture is that, in a RW culture "ordinary citizens" will "read" their culture by listening to or by reading representations of it. Then going back and creating or re-creating from things they have observed. The RO culture on the other hand is "less practiced in perfomance or amateur creativity, and more comfortable with simple consumption". Lessig fears that since we are living in a RO world, artists like Girl Talk will make it harder for others to build off of.

Blog 7

The seven laws that de Bourgoing brings up about the ever changing style that Hip-Hop music encompasses really helps one understand the real meaning of how hip hop has used technology to embrace the fast paced world. The first law shows how sites like Facebook and Twitter were becoming one of the main places for new artists to display their music, and the process of "leaking" a song is becoming more and more common in order to create a buzz about a new album.

Looking at how these laws compare to the first half of the semester, I noticed right away that involvement of the web used in many music genres these days really defines our generation. No longer do we go to the store to buy a CD, rather we find songs all over the web, in music blogs, through social networking sites.

Paul Miller then takes a look at how the hip hop culture is "innovative and it can absorb almost anything". The rhythm science that hip hop creates brings up new ways people can exchange their cultures with one another.