2.20.2004

Grey Album protest: February 24 Next Tuesday, 54 web sites and counting will participate in a "day of coordinated civil disobedience": they'll host DJ Danger Mouse's Grey Album--his sampling of the Beatle's White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album--in defiance of EMI's efforts to squelch artistic reuse of copyrighted materials. Visit Grey Tuesday to learn how your site can participate. EMI, copyright holders for the Beatles' work, has sent cease-and-desist letters to anyone posting the songs, to DJ Danger Mouse, and any record stores selling his CD. "It's clear that this work devalues neither of the originals. There is no legitimate artistic or economic reason to ban this record--this is just arbitrary exertion of control," said Nicholas Reville, Downhill Battle co-founder. "The framers of the constitution created copyright to promote innovation and creativity. A handful of corporations have radically perverted that purpose for their own narrow self interest, and now the public is fighting back."

No comments: