The Risks of Remixing

Blind Justice

Everyone is familiar with the following story:

1. A group finds an obscure old record in a second hand vinyl store.
2. They find a 10 second riff that they like.
3. They Sample it and then build a whole track around that sample and create something that is truly unique and creative.
4. A record label likes it and releases it

This happened to Djuma Soundsystem, an electronic music group from Denmark. Only Djuma got also sued by the copyright owner of the riff that they sampled, and have been fined by the Danish court for 100 000 Euros, thereby setting a precedent for music copyright cases in Denmark. (read the full story on the Copenhagen post online).

The case is very straightforward yet to some extent it is complicated. Because the reason why the group got sued in the first place was because one of the members contacted the person who owned the copyright to the sample only after the remix got released.

The band obviously has not made a lot of money from the record as it was released on an underground music label so the copyright fine might be considered as disproportionately big. But on the other hand the band was aware of what they were doing and should not have let their conscience get to them and should not have started searching for the copyright owner to clear the samples only after the track got released.

But it is too late for should haves. Yet in cases like these you just realize how stupid the copyright law really is.

Djuma took a 10 second sample and spent lots of time and energy on turning the sample into something new, something unique and something very personal. And now a guy comes along, who is not even the creator of the original but just the owner of the copyright, and asks for money?  I guess justice is blind. And so is the judge who made the decision. Because according to him there is no difference between the original and the remix.

Well see for yourself:

The original

The remix (start from 2:20)

Is there a difference? Obviously there is, but I guess the prevalence of the guitar riff throughout the Djuma track makes it identical with the original… Apart from the obvious problem of copyright law being very flimsy, examples like this where underground artists get fined ridiculous amounts of money for using a sample “illegally” also point to copyright law’s nature of limiting artistic freedom of expression and creativity.

Does R&B know it’s not R&B anymore?

It’s been an ongoing trend now for some years that R&B and Hip Hop artists started to collaborate with electronic dance artists. P.Diddy, Flo Rida, Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Rowland and all the other usual suspects have done it and now Rihanna has joined the club too.

Rihanna has always had some elements from dance music in her songs but her latest “we found love” single sounds simply like your standard dance song. So why still call it R&B when it has absolutely nothing to do with it anymore? Well, because electronic dance music has bad PR.

The association with crazy underground club culture, hippies, drugs and sex don’t make it very appealing to the mainstream consumer. Yet the irony in the whole thing is that in reality the R&B and Pop world is much more messed up than the EDM scene.

In any case the trend is undeniable. Pop and R&B are becoming more electronic, much faster and the only thing “organic” that is left in the songs are the vocals. But I am thinking that it is just a matter of time that even the vocal verses will become just one line sentences repeated over and over and over and over again until they lose all their meaning.

Let’s just face it R&B went from Rhythm and Blues to Electro and Trance, or just ET.

Digital distribution just got easier

Baseware is the name of a new digital distribution company that focuses “on empowering emerging electronic music artists and labels to reach their fans and the global market”

Based on the limited information that is available on the companies site, it seems that the company will spread the music of up-and-coming artists and labels to platforms such as “iTunes, Beatport, Spotify, Rdio, Stompy, mobile and tablet applications, and whatever comes next”

It’s probably not an NGO so all the services will be offered in exchange for some fee, hopefully a reasonable one for up-and-coming producers.

If this is executed well this will take away the hassle producers have to go through for obtaining ISRC and EAN/UPC codes for their releases in order to put them on iTunes and other digital retail stores.

The details will be revealed on October 20^th at the Amsterdam Dance Event so let’s just wait and see how this will unfold.

Quincy Jones Headphones

Quincy in the studio

Yes, Dr. Dre just got some serious competition for his beats headphones, because AKG has released a new line of headphones called the Quincy Jones Signature Line and even wired thinks they are better than the competition.

AKG a brand of highly regarded manufacturer of studio reference headphones has endorsed one of the most impactful and legendary producers of our times, Quincy Jones, for their new line of headphones.

This is a great combination of two truly strong brands that have an undisputable reputation for top notch quality audio. The one produces great audio and the other reproduces the great audio. So a great product perception is surely guaranteed on the market.

Quincy Jones headphones line has three models. The in-ear model, the foldable headphone model and the premium class studio reference headphones each positioned and priced as premium quality head and earphones.

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Now why is this exactly a threat to Dre? Because having quality cables in one’s headphones is not enough for a truly great audio experience. The technology of the mini speakers is where it is all at.

AKG is an Austrian company that has been on the market for more than 60 years, has heritage and has a very respectable reputation among audio industry professionals.

Quincy Jones is Quincy Jones. If you don’t know who Quincy Jones is or what he stands for then you should probably listen to this:

That’s Quincy Jones. He is responsible for some of the greatest hits in music history. So giving his name to a line of headphones is a pretty significant thing if you ask me.

When two monsters like these join forces you know that you are dealing with something serious. So “beats” better brace itself.

Keep it Eclectic

Potato head cartoon by Mr.Scruff

So if branding is about maintaining a consistent identity then is it even possible to brand an artist that has a very diverse taste in music and plays out everything he feels like playing? Obviously, it is.

Take Mr.Scruff for example. The guy is famous for his 5-6 hour long live DJ sets where he plays everything from jazz, funk, Latin, hip hop, etc… all the way to the latest dub-step and house tracks mixed with everything that is hot right now. And most importantly it’s not messy and it’s not just music played randomly thoughtlessly.

It is well structured, has logic to it and the energy level builds up gradually as the set progresses. If you want to know the rationale behind the structure of the sets then check out this interview he did a few a years ago.

What is of interest to me is Mr.Scruff as a brand, and how specific branding elements have been used to create an identity which projects an eclectic yet coherent personality with lots of soul.

Holidays on the English Riviera?

Never underestimate the power of a cool music video to turn a relatively unknown location into the hottest most desirable place on earth. And Metronomy, the coolest electro-pop indie band right now, did just that!

The indie band put Torquay, a small city in south west England, on the map for a new generation of music heads.

How? By joining forces with the English Riviera Tourism Company and producing an album dedicated to the region, and calling it, very simply, “The English Riviera“.

But it’s not so much the album that is responsible for all the excitement; it’s the video of the single “The Bay” which makes the English Riviera so desirable.

Who would have thought the English Riviera was so beautiful and sexy. Well, its probably not so let’s not get too carried away!

However the concept and the idea behind this is brilliant but it can’t be done just by anyone.

First of all this is an obvious advertising for the English riviera. The footage and the lyrics of the track all point to that. But the reason it works is that it’s honest. And there is truth behind it.

If you have closely followed Metronomy’s career you would know that the singer, Joseph Mount, is from Devon (the riviera), and this album is basically a platform where he expresses his love for the place where he grew up. Thus it has authenticity, which is key for this campaign’s success.

Then, and let’s be honest here, the video is pleasant to watch and shows some very nice landscapes (among other things).

The music, obviously a question of taste, is definitely not horrible. It’s easy on the ears , its easy to digest and its easy to sing along.

Lastly, the lyrics, which basically pitch the English riviera to the audience, are very well chosen in that they don’t claim the place to be very extravagant like Paris, Berlin, New York or Tokyo. It’s simply the English riviera. It’s Torquay. If you like it check it out, if not don’t. It’s all up to you.

And it just works. It doesn’t come across as a shameless promo video or an ad.

So consequently what happens is that the band breaks through, wins the mercury prize for best album of the year and the English riviera coastal resort is put on the radar for potential holiday makers. A win-win for all parties involved.

A great opportunity for collaboration was recognized, seized and impressive results followed. Pretty cool if you ask me.

King of Cool. A case study of a successful brand.

Kevin Yost

Kevin Yost is one of the legendary dance music artists from whom we can learn a lot when it comes to questions of effective brand management.

An active member in the dance world since 1996, Yost has gained an undisputable reputation for producing high quality, stylish deep house with a flare of jazz.

You always know what to expect when you go to a Kevin Yost gig or just decide to listen to one of his tracks or mixes.

Cool, Classy, Jazzy, Sophisticated Deep House. That’s what you will get! You will certainly not hear loud screechy electro sounds or lady gaga in anything that has his name on it!