In 1981, Queen met up with David Bowie in Montreux, Switzerland, in order to collaborate on a new song. The end result was the song now known as "Under Pressure". This song was later included on the Queen album known as “Hot Space” and became one of the band's best known signature songs. Not only did it become an anthem for many, but it managed to reach the Number #1 spot in UK Singles and was named the song #31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's!
Less than 10 years later, a young rapper known as Vanilla Ice came onto the music scene. In 1990 the song "Ice Ice Baby" was released and created a large amount of controversy. The reason for such an uproar was because Vanilla Ice had sampled Queen's instantly recognizable bass-line without permission. To create an even bigger uproar, Vanilla Ice did not even credit Queen or David Bowie for the sample that was used. Our note called "Fair Use (U.S.A.) and Fair Dealing (Canada)" clearly states that no more than 30 seconds of a song can be used from another artist without their permission. As timed by myself, Vanilla uses approximately 1 minute and 24 seconds worth of Queen/Bowie material. This amount of time is almost 3 times as much as one can use legally and as a result Vanilla Ice could have, potentially, been in a lot of trouble.
Although this case was later settled out of court and Queen were eventually paid royalties, this case, to me, is very important. I, myself, am a musician and I have nothing but respect and praise for musicians like Queen. They had staying power. They could sell records. They could perform shows. They could create hits. They could play their instruments and these are the types of people that should get recognition. What bothers me is when artists such as Vanilla Ice STEAL talented artists’ material in order to get noticed or make money.
From the knowledge acquired from our note titled "Fair Use (U.S.A.) & Fair Dealing (Canada)" I gained further knowledge on copyright. Our note mentions that if an artist wishes to use another person's material, they must first acquire permission to do so by the artist or the song's rights owner. Although permission may be given to an artist, I believe that a true artist should be able to create their own material. In my opinion, an over-use of sampling reflects on the artist’s abilities. By not being able to compose original music, it shows that they are untalented and incapable of creating a hit using their own knowledge and skills. It is a known fact that sampling occurs almost exclusively in Hip Hop/Rap/Dance music. For me, there is nothing "Hip" about this music. None of these artists are true musicians. Artists such as Diddy or Jay-Z who rely on using other people's material to create a hit or, as quoted by Benedict.com "...to provide a feel, mood, or atmosphere; generally the same as the original", I see as unoriginal, untalented “wannabe” artists. If they are "masters of music" as they claim to be, why can't they produce hits simply by using original music? Queen did it. It's artists like Queen who deserve respect for their fame as they remained true to themselves by only creating original music and relying on their own knowledge, abilities and talents.
If anyone challenges my view that Rap and Hip Hop artists are untalented, take a look at the facts. On Benedict.com, the majority of copyright infringement cases involve a Rap/HipHop/Club/Dance/Whatever-they-call-themselves artist. This fact shows you that sampling is predominantly done in that genre of music.
I am sorry if you disagree with my views, but you need to face the facts. Sampling, in my opinion, is corrupt and shows a lack of talent. Why should untalented people get “on top” in a business in which it is so difficult to succeed?
Citations
“Under Pressure”Wikipedia.com. 2 March 2009. 6 March 2009
“Hot Space”Wikipedia.com. 2 March 2009. 28 February 2009
“Vanilla Ice”Wikipedia.com. 2 March 2009. 7 March 2009
“Ice Ice Baby”Wikipedia.com. 2 March 2009. 7 March 2009
“Diddy”Wikipedia.com. 2 March 2009. 4 March 2009
“Jay-Z”Wikipedia.com/2 March 2009. 7 March 2009
“Copyright Website”Benedict.com. 2 March 2009.
"Hot Space"Online Image. Queen Collector. 8 March 2009
"Vanilla Ice"Online Image. Daily Mail. 8 March 2009
"Thumbs Down"Online Image. Going Green. 8 March 2009
Puley, Aaron "Fair Use (U.S.A.) & Fair Dealing (Canada)".Media Studies-Copyright. 9 March 2009. 2007
YAY FOR QUEEN!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't completely disagree with you on your statement about how "sampling is corrupt" BUT I believe sampling doesn't have to be that bad. I believe it's ok if the artist only uses a small amount (less than %10) and they credit the original artist. I don't see this is "ripping off the artist" it's more like honouring the original artists creativity and allowing it to live on. But Vanilla Ice didn't credit Queen, which is not cool, it shows that he is not sampling Queen to honour them but instead he is stealing their music in attempt to profit from it. Shame on you, Vanilla Ice, shame on you.