Copyright Criminals (DVD)
DIRECTED BY - Benjamin Franzen
IndiePix Price: $24.95
RUNTIME - 54 minutes
RATING - Not Rated
YEAR - 2009
FORMAT - DVD Region 1
SPECIAL FEATURES -
Trailer, Extended Interviews with: Chuck D, De La Soul & Clyde Stubblefield, Music Player Featuring 15+ Songs by: EL-P & RJD2, Fair Use Explained, 4 Shorts by the Center for Social Media
GENRES - documentary, music & performance
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Film Info
Copyright Criminals examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money.
This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a "borrowed melody" became a "copyright infringement."
Related Links:
Official Website
| CAST | |
|---|---|
| Chuck D | Himself |
| De La Soul | Himself |
| George Clinton | Himself |
| DJ Q-Bert | Himself |
| Clyde Stubblefield | Himself |
| Mix Master Mike | Himself |
| Steve Albini | Himself |
| El-P | Himself |
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Press
"Producers Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod craft a compelling and insightful documentary illuminating both sides of a hotly debated issue: Should the original artists get paid when someone samples their work? Are current copyright laws out of step with our mashed-up, high-tech culture?"
-USA Today
"Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod's exceptionally smart and energetic documentary lays out the complexities of sampling--artistic and political, legal and philosophical. Comprised of split screens, overlapping and overlaid sounds, an assemblage of images and noise, the movie effectively stages its argument even as it makes it."
-PopMatters.com
