Undoing Property
Background
We've been invited to contribute to Publishing in Process: Ownership in Question. Collectively initiated by Marysia Lewandowska and Laurel Ptak, Publishing in Process is a long-term research project on the subject of intellectual property, art practice, open culture, and the public realm.
Proposal
Eileen Simpson and Ben White (Open Music Archive) propose the distribution of a collection of 14 new releases for Undoing Property. The project presents a series of pre-release leaks assembled for the present legal reality. Recordings containing copyright-controlled lyrics or melody will be manipulated using digital processing techniques ported from contemporary music production and accompanied by cover artwork - featuring archive graphic fragments, lyrics, titles and other elements assembled from original archive sources.
The focus of the featured collection is material gleaned from the edges of the public domain – specifically material with a split in ownership between lyrics and musical composition. New sonic sequences are generated from recordings that have been edited, redacted, cut-up and processed to suppress copyright- secured elements thus enabling the release of public domain layers from the proprietary control of commercial publishers.
This timely and urgent project will see public domain layers of compositions that are due to return to proprietary ownership freed, prior to an upcoming legal enclosure taking effect across Europe in 2013 – the result of aggressive lobbying by private interests. In response to this moment we approach the book format as a 'record shop catalogue', featuring the identity for each individual release and with links to wider distribution. This collection of newly processed recordings will be distributed online and freely published before new IP frameworks lock them down again (November 2013 in the UK).
Metadata (recording, songwriter info and dates of copyright expiry) plus QR Code and URL provide a direct link to the online location of the digitally processed file. A preamble sketching out the shifting legal context, projecting forward to future public domain release dates, will accompany the releases. See here
Example track metadata:
Golden Days
performed by Mario Lanza
recorded 1954 © expired 2005
music by Sigmund Romberg (died 1951) © expires 2022
lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly (died 1928) © expired 1999
pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
www.openmusicarchive.org/p7ah
Sleeves
Common Lyrics
Golden Days
Performed by Mario Lanza
Recorded 1954 © expired 2005
Music by Sigmund Romberg (died 1951) © expires 2022
Lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly (died 1928) © expired 1999
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
http://www.openmusicarchive.org/sb4y
Deep In My Heart, Dear
Performed by Mario Lanza
Recorded 1954 © expired 2005
Music by Sigmund Romberg (died 1951) © expires 2022
Lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly (died 1928) © expired 1999
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
http://www.openmusicarchive.org/b6ge
The Free and Easy
Music by Fred E Ahlert (died 1953) © expires 2024
Words by Roy Turk (died 1934) © expired 2005
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Love Me or Leave Me
Music by Walter Donaldson (died 1947) © expires 2018
Lyric by Gus Kahn (died 1941) © expired 2012
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
Music by Fred E Ahlert (died 1953) © expires 2024
Words by Joe Young (died 1939) © expired 2010
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Drop a Nickle In The Slot
Music by Fred E Ahlert (died 1953) © expires 2024
Lyric by Joe Young (died 1939) © expired 2010
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Dream A Little Dream of Me
Music by Fabian Andre (died 1960) and Wilbur Schwandt (died 1998) © expires 2069
Lyric by Gus Kahn (died 1941) © expired 2012
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Common Music
My One and Only
Music by George Gershwin (died 1937) © expired 2008
Words by Ira Gershwin (died 1983) © expires 2054
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
The Continental
Music by Con Conrad (died 1936) © expired 2007
Words by Herbert Magidson (died 1986) © expires 2057
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Til The Sands of The Desert Grow Cold
Music by Ernest R Ball (died 1927) © expired 2003
Lyric by Geo. Graff Jr (died 1973) © expires 2044
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Sentimental and Melancholy
Music by Richard Whiting (died 1938) © expired 2009
Lyric by Johnny Mercer (died 1976) © expires 2047
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Too Marvelous For Words
Music by Richard Whiting (died 1938) © expired 2009
Lyric by Johnny Mercer (died 1976) © expires 2047
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
Colorado Sunset
Music by Con Conrad (died 1936) © expired 2007
Lyric by L Wolfe Gilbert (died 1970) © expires 2041
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
You've Got What Gets Me
Music by George Gershwin (died 1937) © expired 2008
Words by Ira Gershwin (died 1983) © expires 2054
Pre-release by Open Music Archive (cc) by-sa 3.0 2012
