Grey Tuesday: 177 and counting
It’s all about who’s in charge.
You? Or the labels?
Remember The Beatles? Quite a few of the tracks on some of their more progressive numbers featured unattributed out-takes from various unamed sources.
It was cool and it was one of the things that made The Beatles what they were.
And it’s still cool. Electronics have added a dimension to music in the same way animated and static computer graphics have added a dimension to visual art.
But if EMI and the other majors have their way you’ll only be able to ‘enjoy’ pre-digested music selected and authorised by them.
The Grey Album was, and still is, an art project/experiment that uses the full vocal content of Jay-Z’s Black Album recorded over new beats and production, with the Beatles White Album as the sole source material.
Whether you like the results or not, there’s no denying this is highly innovatove and highly creative and it’ll inspire other people …
… unless EMI and the rest of the major labels have their way in which case, all you’ll get is the usual expensive Big Music ‘product’.
Because EMI rigidly controls all Beatles sound recordings for Capitol Records. Sony Music/ATV Publishing controls the publishing side. And it’s been shooting Cease and Desist letters at anyone carrying the Grey Album.
Yesterday, 97 webmasters had had signed up to post DJ Dangermouse’s Grey Album on their sites in a February 24 action organized by DownhillBattle.
By 8:30 AM Pacific time today, 137 were on board and a further 40 had promised to Turn their Sites Grey on the Day —–> Tuesday, February 24.
And that means so far, EMI’s going to have to issue at least another 137 missives, with all that implies.
Stay tuned …
February 25th, 2004 at 7:02 am
Innovative??? I think not! Spewing what is shite onto a Beatles song is in no way cool. Like watching my parents having sex. No way! The Beatles,k with two of them dead, don’t deserve some asshole coming along and making a name for himself using Beatle music. Even now, they are doing fine. I’m sick and tired of no-name assholes riding a wave. Why can’t these yo-yoes do something original? Maybe lack of talent???
February 25th, 2004 at 7:12 am
Next its gonna be some asshole sitting in his basement and fucking with Rolling Stones songs……Then maybe do some ‘rap’ to The Who. If I was a mainstream artist, and some asshole is messing around with my music, I would be PISSED! Think about it……you spend days getting it just right, then you release it. Along comes a guy that changes it. Then re-releases it! How pissed off are you gonna be?? Some asshole in his basement, playing around with the song that you wrote. THAT is the definition of an asshole.