Article from John Egenes at Otago Uni on remix culture.
"The internet and our digital convergence are
rapidly transforming long-held views
regarding the traditional relationship
between performer and audience ("creator" /
"consumer"). This change is giving a new
voice to the audience, literally bringing them
into the mix. With unprecedented access to
the creative process, and with an audience for
their creations, consumers of music are also
its producers, and are reshaping concepts of
creativity, individuality, and intellectual
property. This paper examines fundamental
shifts in the way the "Folk Process" works
within this context. Remix culture, once a
bastion of beat-driven dance mashups, is
expanding to include all styles of music, film,
theatre and art. I will argue that its long-term
significance lies in the notion that it blurs
lines between the traditionally separate roles
of creator and consumer, and challenges
long-held concepts of intellectual property
and copyright. Over the protests of many
traditional folk musicians and devotees, folk
music is entering this new digital arena,
where the Folk Process is changing from
gradual to immediate, from slow to rapid,
adapting to fit the new digital paradigm."
"In 1939 a young musician from the Zulu cultural group in South Africa, penned down what came to be the most popular albeit controversial and internationally acclaimed song of the times. Popular because the song somehow found its way into international households via the renowned Disney's Lion King. Controversial because the popularity passage of the song was tainted with illicit and grossly unfair dealings tantamount to theft and dishonest misappropriation of traditional intellectual property, giving rise to a lawsuit that ultimately culminated in the out of court settlement of the case. The lessons to be gained by the world and emanating from this dramatics, all pointed out to the dire need for a reconsideration of measures to be urgently put in place for the safeguarding of cultural intellectual relic such as music and dance."