----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, August 01, 2000 9:44 PM Subject: [mich-improv] THE DROPLIFT PROJECT: new copyright infringement compliation > I thought this might interest some of you... > > The anti-copyright collaborative project known as "The > Droplift Project" was released last weekend. The album is a protest > against the copyright restrictions on sampling, along with the music > industry in general. Through the prank of dropping our independently > produced disc of culture jamming and "infringing material" directly > into the bins of record stores across the planet, we hope to raise > awareness of fair use issues in music, along with exposing some > unsuspecting people to the wonderful world of audio collage and the > art of the sample. > > Much more information, along with free downloads of the > complete album in mp3 or full uncompressed format is available at the > Droplift Project website : http://www.droplift.org > > Press release: > > WHAT IS THE DROPLIFT PROJECT? > > The idea came suddenly. > > Manufacture our own CDs, go into chain stores, and leave them in the > appropriate bins. Down among the established pop hits and top 40 > product, these CDs await those curious few who take them to the > counter. > > Then what? Witness the confused faces of cashiers and customers alike > when the CD does not show up in the inventory. But they'll most > likely make the sale, and the CD known only as THE DROPLIFT PROJECT > will go home with yet another customer. Mission accomplished. > > On the weekend of July 28th, 2000, all across the United States and > Internationally, ordinary citizens will walk into record stores with > copies of THE DROPLIFT PROJECT hidden on their person. They will > proceed to leave them, well filed, in the stacks, and they will walk > out. > > Why do this? Surely the artists know they won't get any MONEY from > this puzzling act. > > Ah, but perhaps you are starting to understand already. > > The artists on THE DROPLIFT PROJECT make and find recordings of the > stuff we all hear on radio, TV, in the news, on other CDs and tapes, > and from everywhere around us. Then we cut it all up and rearrange it > to make new art, social commentary, parody, and contemporary > criticism. > > It's nothing new. Artists have been making collages for the last > hundred years. The world of Fine Art has long recognized the artist's > right to use found objects in a new context to make a comment. > > The world of music has been a little behind. > > Record companies reject our works outright, wishing to avoid > unpleasant lawsuits. CD Plants, acting on an RIAA mandate to curb > piracy, are often not willing to press material that might contain > recognizable samples. Even free music venues on the Internet refuse > to allow sample-based works. > > Is it illegal? Depends on who you ask. We know we are protected by > the First Amendment and the Fair Use clause of the Copyright Act. > Apparently, the music industry has other ideas. Because most of us do > not posess the resources to defend our artistic rights in a court of > law, we are often silenced by cease-and-desist letters and other > legal threats. These tactics amount to censorship of an entire > artform. > > This oppressive resistance to the creative reuse of material has > really got us in a bind. Our only recourse was to manufacture and > distribute this free public domain "copyright infringement > compilation" that calls attention to this issue of sampling in music. > > So here it is! Listen to it! We're not doing this for our health. > This is a deliberate attempt not only for our talents to be heard, > but to encourage some discussion about artists' use of sound samples > in their work. If you like the disc, help us spread the word by > writing an article, playing it on your radio show, making tapes for > friends, or even droplifting a few copies yourself! For more > information, visit us on the internet at http://www.droplift.org > > > > To Post a message, send it to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >
