by Zack Denfeld
Daily Orange (Syracuse U.)
01/17/2003
(U-WIRE) SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- "My printer roll at 600 dpi/ My scanner scans in the blink of an eye."
Sound ridiculous? Maybe not.
The Sept. 9 issue of Ad Age Magazine reports that "Island Def Jam Music Group is negotiating a deal with Hewlett-Packard to mention HP products in hip-hop lyrics."
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While product placement in popular music is nothing new, particularly hip-hop, one wonders how far this trend can go. With the proliferation of Internet music trading, will the music go the route of a TiVo-stressed television industry and focus on Advertainment?
As a helpless viewer I only ask that the artist actually consumes the product they name-drop in their chorus. I was fairly heartbroken to learn that Busta does not even drink Courvoisier, he apparently likes Hennessy.
For example, what if 50 Cent writes a song about Slurpees but is actually a Slush Puppy drinker? The junket could be a real mess if he shows up with the wrong chilled-slushed beverage in hand.
Product placement will probably become more frighteningly common and obvious. However, another likely business model for future "artists" in the entertainment industry may be found in the Neptunes.
While producing an unfathomable number of songs for mainstream artists, they also released a critically acclaimed album as N.E.R.D. This album would have fallen on deaf ears were it not for their day jobs. More artists with stars in their eyes may be willing to produce or otherwise pimp themselves on the side and then follow their passion on the sly.
The reason new business models are needed is because the world of copyright is getting really surreal, and promises to only get weirder. For example, if I want to use a segment of a movie that is in the public domain for a documentary I can use the VHS tape but not the DVD. Even though you would not know the source in my final work, I could be sued if it is found out that I got the content from the DVD.
My question is: if I videotape the DVD playing from my flat screen, and then include it in my work, can I be sued?
More weirdness: John Cage's publisher is demanding royalties from British composer Mike Batt because he wrote a variation on Cage's "4'33'" called "One Minute of Silence."
Hello, this makes no sense. A) What happened to Art. B) Although the song was a tribute, does it matter if the track had no data or was recorded silence. C) Can't Batt argue that the track is not at all like Cage's work even though it is a tribute, because the whirring of the CD player playing the blank track negates the silence. Plus the whirr of the CD player is different on everyone's machine and therefore the song is actually different every time anyway?
All right kids, hold on tight, the next decade promises to be really weird. I can only imagine the absolute circus Communications Law classes will be in 10 years.
