Plunderphonics

(Paperback)

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Featuring interviews with John Oswald, Negativland, and others and drawing on a wealth of research on copyright and intellectual property, Plunderphonics explores the impact of a genre that made illegality a point of pride.

Beginning in the 1980s, a group of pranksters and hoaxers led by Canadian composer John Oswald and San Francisco band Negativland took on the major labels by making music with purposefully uncleared samples. Pillaging and parodying music from Dolly Parton, Beethoven, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, U2 and dozens of others, they incited legal threats that they then turned into publicity for their cause. Their battle for fair use was largely successful, leading to future stars like The Avalanches and Girl Talk who took remix culture to new heights.

In a wide-ranging history that discusses landmark works by Steinski, the Tape-beatles, People Like Us, and Danger Mouse, this book narrates the battle against restrictive copyright laws and the rise of a movement toward a shared creative commons.

Author Bio

Matthew Blackwell is a freelance music and culture writer. His writing has appeared in Pitchfork, Bandcamp Daily, Tone Glow, Tiny Mix Tapes, The Wire Magazine, and the Los Angeles Review of Books. Since 2023 he has helmed Bandcamp Dailys Best Field Recordings column. He is currently based in Tenerife, Spain.