(10/24/2018 – no class)

(10/29/2018 – absent)

(10/31/2018 – absent)

11/05/2018   

How do you acquire property without taking it by force?

There are many creative answers here – you could buy it, trade it, claim God or some all-powerful entity gave it to you…You could use john Locke’s answer, that being that property is yours once you put labor into it.

So what about idea? How can you ensure that nobody is going to rip off your idea, or better yet, how can you ensure you won’t get in trouble as an individual for any kind of accident in the corporate world? This is why a lot of corporations are formed. That way, an individual is not directly responsible, but it is the corporation as a separate entity that takes the blame. It is like an immortal being, one that can sign contracts, own land, pay wages, etc. I thought this was interesting because I had never realized that this is exactly how I view the idea of a corporation until it was pointed out to me.

11/07/2018

The idea of sampling in music sounds a lot like copyright infringement to me. I understand that it is different, and that sampling is actually a very important part of music development. Not to mention the fact that is it a way to reference and acknowledge music and artists that have created memorable works in the past. Sounds can be reworked and altered so that the basic premise is still there, but it continues to evolve with new artists and ideas. However, when we first began this discussion I couldn’t help but think what’s the difference between sampling and breaking copyright? Someone could claim to appreciate and honor another piece of music all they want by including it in their work, but couldn’t they also just be taking that music for their own benefit?

While that was my initial thought, the more I take a look at that idea the more able I am to argue it. Sure, let’s say that sampling is like breaking copyright, just for a hypothetical scenario. Even if this is true, isn’t it necessary? Doesn’t all new music come from old music? Christian hymns find many roots in Hawaiian music. Country “white man” banjo music originally came from Africa. Even more specific, modern music exemplifies the idea of sampling. One example of this is “I Like it” by Cardi B, who sampled the song “I Like It Like That” by Pete Rodriguez. While this is not the same song, it is easy to tell that many elements from Rodriguez’s song was used in Cardi B’s version.

I believe there is a fine line between sampling and breaking copyright, and this line must be tread on very carefully. Using older music to advance and transform new music, while at the same time keeping the roots of original songs is respectable and necessary for music to continue to evolve. However, there is a difference between that and simply re-working a song slightly for one’s own benefit, therefore lacking creativity. If you have to take a second glance and question whether it is sampling or not, it probably isn’t.