We are in the era of Youtubers, remix culture, and pop a cappella. It’s clear that the concept of copyright needs to be debated and changed to reflect the way we’re using culture. Here’s how I started my choir thinking about the ramifications in just a few minutes.
Do they sound the same? What do they have in common, what do they do differently?
Now: understand that the work NYV did on the arrangement belongs to Paul Simon, because it’s a so-called derivative work. [Some students: well, that seems fair; I mean, Paul Simon did write the words and melody and harmony …]
How is NYV’s Cecilia different than they typical a cappella pop “jin jin” arrangement? Did they add anything to the piece that wasn’t in the original? Should Paul Simon own their creative work?
Final question: Is anything completely non-derivative? Can you name a work of art that doesn’t borrow, reference, imitate, or steal from an older work? (Including Paul Simon himself…)
I urged my students to go home and watch “Everything is a Remix“, and I urge you to do the same. There are big, thorny issues that are ever-more important in the internet age. Kirby Ferguson breaks it down in the most compelling way.