McLeod

Wednesday, September 1, 2010


Simply after reading the Introduction of this article, Freedom of Expression, it angered me how every second of every day creativity via the Internet is limited for everyone due to these silly copyright laws. Creativity, of course, is not limited for the big businesses and corporations such as Clear Channel Communications that want to take complete control over “one hundred live venues and over thirteen hundred radio stations in the United States…” (McLeod p.6) I have several issues with Clear Channel Communications. First off, what if I attend a live venue that is NOT one out of their one hundred or it’s one of them but a different venue; I can’t share that venue with my friends or family because they would sue me for taking their “original” idea. Another issue I have is in regards to the millions of artists out there. What if an upcoming artist wants to share their live concerts online for their fans? Well, they can’t or else they’ll get sued by Clear Channel Communications for copyright laws. Lame.

Copyright laws today are changing the way music is created, especially for African American cultures. Artists affiliated with the blues and jazz genre are used to “sharing” their music with others because that’s how they succeeded in the music business. Sharing music with different types of artists made it unique and fun to listen to. But, current copyright laws have changed the way African Americans create music. This is completely unfair and inhumane. McLeod said a great line that I feel summarizes this particular copyright situation perfectly: “…music was treated as communal wealth, not private property.” (McLeod p. 30)

Posted by Brittany at 6:03 PM