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Jolson To Jay-Z: Covers, Collaboration & Sampling

image from www.google.com Techdirt points us to a video that chronicles how a song originated. Producer Tony Rome, who says he inspired by reading James Boyle's The Public Domain, takes a look at how music is collaborative by examing the influences behind Jay-Z's" Empire State of Mind".  While this video is unlikely to win awards,  it serves as both a musical history trip and important reminder of the need for copyright reform.

More: Prince Wants To Stop All Cover Versions Of Songs (Not Just His Songs… Everyone's)

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  1. Er, in what way exactly does this show the ‘need for copyright reform’?
    Of course, we all know that rappers sample and borrow, sometimes legally and sometimes not, but so what? In the one clear example of copyright infringement mentioned in the video – the blatant sampling of a record by Chic – copyright law seems to have worked quite well, and Nile Rodgers got his cut.
    The other alleged infringement – one rapper allegedly copying another rapper’s ‘rhymes’ – is more dubious, and it isn’t clear whether the first rapper tried to get legal redress.

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