Congressman Mike Doyle Defends DJ Drama in Speech

[-TraMaTiK-]

http://www.hiphopgame.com/news.php3?id=1560

Congressman Mike Doyle (D-Pittsburgh, PA) recently spoke out against the RIAA-backed raid on DJ Drama's AMG office in Atlanta. The below speech was part of a congressional hearing to discuss the digital future of the United States.

Mr. Chairman, I want to tell you a story of a local guy done good. His name is Greg Gillis and by day he is a biomedical engineer in Pittsburgh. At night, he DJs under the name Girl Talk. His latest mash-up record made the top 2006 albums list from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and Spin Magazine amongst others. His shtick as the Chicago Tribune wrote about him is "based on the notion that some sampling of copyrighted material, especially when manipulated and recontextualized into a new art form is legit and deserves to be heard." In one example, Mr. Chairman, he blended Elton John, Notorious B-I-G, and Destiny's Child all in the span of 30 seconds. And, while the legal indie-music download site eMusic.com took his stuff down due to possible copyright violation, he's now flying all over the world to open concerts and remix for artists like Beck. The same cannot be said for Atlanta-based, hop-hop, mix-tape king DJ Drama. Mix-tapes, actually made on CDs, are sold at Best Buys and local record shops across the country and they are seen as crucial in making or breaking new acts in hip-hop. But even though artists on major labels are paying DJ Drama to get their next mixed-tape, the major record labels are leading raids and sending people like him to jail. I hope that everyone involved will take a step back and ask themselves if mash-ups and mixtapes are really different or if it's the same as Paul McCartney admitting that he nicked the Chuck Berry bass-riff and used it on the Beatle's hit "I Saw Her Standing There." Maybe it is. And, maybe Drama violated some clear bright lines. Or, maybe mixtapes are a powerful tool. And, maybe mash-ups are transformative new art that expands the consumers experience and doesn't compete with what an artist has made available on iTunes or at the CD store. And, I don't think Sir Paul asked for permission to borrow that bass line, but every time I listen to that song, I'm a little better off for him having done so. Until our questions about the future of music get answered, we first have to look at the future of radio.

[Lawgix]

ugh is this gonna be another one of those "Vanilla Ice Used The Bass Line From Under Pressure" type deals again???

[-TraMaTiK-]

lmao...no idea man...

[drunken jesus]

ugh is this gonna be another one of those "Vanilla Ice Used The Bass Line From Under Pressure" type deals again???

not exactly, they're going after mixtapes because a majority of them use other peoples copywrited instrumentals for freestyles, mixtape tracks, etc. and then sell them for profit, dj's have been getting away with it because they do a cover up scheme, like one site i know, you buy a cover, and you get a "free" mixtape when in actuality you're just buying the mixtape

they're suppose to be for promotional use only and not sold, but they're selling and have always been sold, so white people are getting pissed that average niggas are getting money that they could have

[8th]

so white people are getting pissed that average niggas are getting money that they could have

yeah cause everything is racist always.

[drunken jesus]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... 5953.story

^ read that

or read about the cop that unloaded a clip and reloaded again on sean bell when he was unarmed, and didn't even get a murder charge all him and the rest of the cops got was a manslaughter charge

or just find a clip of when dj drama was getting arrested when the pigs were making it out to look like it was some sort of major criminal, saying shit like "no drugs or weopons were found but they're typical in these type of situations"

ain't suprising a southern dj was the first to get busted, racism is still alive in well down there everywhere except the big cities

[8th]

word. its all 'the man' holdin a brother down.

[drunken jesus]

lmao, i knew it was foolish trying to explain racism to a racist

[8th]

yeah, assumptions are the best way to go.

[Lawgix]

can't say much about that cause i'm a worthless cracker myself lol