Copy-protection schemes…

From CNet: Software, music and movies that employ copy-protection schemes must be prominently labeled with consumer warnings, according to a bill introduced in Congress this week.

Yes, and then consumers should boycott such music CDs!

Copyrightfight

Quote: Our Constitution used to say that copyright was for limited times. This has been erased by our Supreme Court. Copyright has grown 11 times in the last 40 years. The most recent extension was for 20 years. Why is it that governments keep extending copyright?

Traditions

An interview I gave yesterday made me think about traditions and their place in the future. The theme of the article for a local magazine is the emerging sound of Santa Fe and it’s expansion of the latin sound….

I think it’s a lot like the Net and the blogging culture. Referencing a reference and such. I think the music of today should carry many such referrals, references and sign posts because we are no longer just born into a family that belongs to a village, a race, a tribe, a state, a country…no, we are all referencing lots of other cultures, e.g. a person born in Santa Fe may beside his/her “localized” upbringing with its local culture/traditions have an affinity for Japanese poetry, Chinese food, Italian design, French movies, Turkish coffee, British literature, American Jazz etc…and I feel that their art/music should reflect that, all of that. And as we all digest more and more cultural references they will become more subtle and more like tiny accents rather than a clear referral.

Carlos Santana: Mexican loves the Blues will turn into a next generation musician enjoying Santana (sub level: Latin rhythms + Blues), R&B singers, French rappers (sub level: Hip-Hop) and techno with Indian rhythms (tablas and such). The blues element might become more subtle and a little harder to distinguish because it is now one level removed.

Actually Santana has been around long enough to make an interesting subject for a study. How many artists/musicians from how many different cultures on different continents have been influenced by him and in how many different styles to they work…from folk to rock, from Jazz to R&B, electronica etc…..this would make an interesting chart!

I think rather than loosing any traditional accomplishments (plenty of people will make sure they are not gone plus everything has been recorded anyway!) we are creating new tentacles/limbs/towers arising from those traditions, new palettes of colors and references…like blogging! Referencing a reference and creating a large web of connected information/music….

Mexico might abolish the public domain

The Mexican Congress is about to consider a revision to its copyright law. Among it many changes, the law will extend the term of copyright from life-plus-70 to life-plus-100. (And no doubt thus beginning yet another cycle of “harmonization” around the world.) Worse, at the end of the copyright term, the government has the right to charge royalties for works in the “public domain.”
via BoingBoing

Life PLUS 100 years!!! It used to be life plus 25 years in the early part of the 20th century. I am sure this new rule could create a lot of trustafarians! As modern life changes faster and faster we are making copyright last longer and longer? What’s the logic behind that?

my Grandfather Barthelomaus Breuer

Let me preface this entry by stating that I DO NOT have a public opinion regarding the current events in Iraq (maybe renamed iRaq if it was up to Apple?). I find that stating one or the other opinion would NOT change another person’s mind anyway and would only result in one or the other group sending me nasty emails. I do have a private opinion, but that’s between me and my friends and family. I think that since I keep my music lyric free I should also keep it politics-free. My music is intended for all humans, including fascists and communists and every shade in between….

To paraphrase John Cage, if you try to improve the world you only make matters worse…
My grandfather fought in two world wars and he used to tell me that he thought that when the heads of two countries want to go to war they should be given boxing gloves and enter a ring. Somebody had the same idea in the eighties because the Frankie goes to Hollywood video for their song “When Two Tribes go to War” featured Reagan and Brezhnev in a boxing match….

What if we worked on that idea for a little while? Each country gets to have a team of say 10 or 100 “warriors” that meet in the colosseum on a specific day. I think 100 fighters would look a lot more impressive, would involve more strategy and would make for a better show. This gives each country the same sized “army” and a country would not have a population advantage e.g. China vs Belgium. The colosseum could be purpose-built, although something like the ancient Roman colosseum would be perfect…On the other hand letting different cities host a “War” similar to the Olympics might be a nice touch and would encourage tourism….The fight would be run by the UN who would be able to sell the TV rights, advertisements, concessions etc… Should the combatants fight barehanded or be allowed certain ritualistic instruments? Maybe blood is important for the catharsis of war! Maybe the fighters should use axes? Or maybe there would be a UN arsenal available for everyone. The individuals would pass by racks of approved weapons (using the UN blue for the weapons would be a nice touch?) and choose their weapon for the fight. Simple rules – the simpler the better! – a flag on either side that needs to be protected/captured. Last flag standing wins. Obviously the UN would scan for GMOs (or GMH – genetically modified humans) and any sort of implanted devices. Any “soldier” found to be genetically altered or having implants gets to watch from the sidelines and his “team” is one man short. I don’t mean to limit this to men at all…it could be a gender-free-for-all, but I find that in general men still have certain caveman-ish genes that make them more apt to do this well. I think betting could be good with a high tax on betting going to education…Of course knowing the date for the fight in advance would allow the media to really create a perfect build-up to the event!!!

Let me end this post by saying that I am NOT being insensitive to current events – it’s just that thoughts like the above help me digest what’s going on. A little satire goes a long way…..