Beatmixed

"Mash the planet," suggests the text file forwarded to me by a concerned reader.   I really appreciate everything this guy has to say, and will do my part to make it happen.  For starters, I thought I’d reprint his message in entirety:

citizen engineers,

each week i do a series of how-tos here and there about getting more out of the technology we all have, the content we all create and the ways we can use them, share them and learn from them.

now i need your help, you see, lots of record companies like emi, disney and many others are sending cease and desist letters when people take music they listen to and mash it up for their own pleasure, not selling this music, just mixing it, just listening it to they way they want to and creating new works.

awhile ago, dj danger mouse mashed up the beatles’ "white album" with jay-zee’s "black album" and called the result the "grey album."

anyone who hosted the files, or even "wanted to" was threatened with legal action, now disney sent a cease and desist to waxy.org for just linking to the kleptones – a night at the hip hopera – mash ups using music from queen and ton of other sources.

the solution to end this madness?

more mash ups. millions of them. a digital, creative protest.

this is where you come in, i’m going start a how-to series on making your own mash ups, so if you make these, please drop a note on how you do it, what software you use and all that.

let’s unleash a flood of millions of mash ups. with podcasting really taking off, p2p networks, mp3 players everywhere and the nature of music always wanting to be sampled, mixed and heard it’ll be hard to stop everyone turning on, tuning in and mashing up.

so send in your suggestions to:
torrone@gmail.com
phillip@flashenabled.com
fill@2600.com

aim:
pmtorrone

Please — if you have any ideas or suggestions, send them Phillip’s way.  There’s an entire subculture of remix artists whose art and expression is at stake.