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David Bowie has taken a direct line to fans to who bootleg his material, and the line is "be creative." The musician's Web site invites fans to take material from "Reality" (his latest album) and mash it up with other tracks. I'm also pleased with the way he addresses the issue of ownership and creativity head on, pointing out that mash-ups are "a great appropriation idea waiting to happen." That is, yes, it is a taking of someone else's work, but that in and of itself is not an evil thing. Art and creation has never happened in an isolated tower - it's always done in the context of a milieu of popular culture, whether that's the pop culture of now or of Shakespeare's time. Bowie calls himself a "hybrid maker" - another way of looking at an appropriation artist. I don't think any one person or any one event is going to rescue the dialog from its hijacking by the Cartel, but I'm very pleased to see a well-respected name in creativity taking a view that may help broaden the debate. In addition to verbal encouragement, Bowie is also sponsoring a contest for the best mash-up (ends May 17th). The winner gets a new car and get his or her track released as a new Bowie+? single, which I think is just awesome. If you need software to help you with your contest entries, Bowie provides a helpful link to a free downloadable desktop tool. http://www.davidbowie.com/ |