Beatmixed

Lessig has an interesting blog entry on flamenco artists and their tradition of musical derivation. Today’s strict copyright law has changed the methods of creativity and a flamenco artist no longer spends his or her time adapting old works but rather must focus on new “innovation.” It’s easy to see how flamenco artists are a great historical example of musicians who were once entrenched in a “remix culture.” They took what was good and attempted to make it better — a cultural phenomenon that I believe to be carried on today in underground circles like the bootleg / bastard pop scene. Inevitably, I expect to see the same phenomenon pop up in new and creative ways long after bootlegging has run its course.