Copyright Criminals: The Funky Drummer Edition
Released 2011
Copyright Criminals: The Funky Drummer Edition Box Set is the premier package for anyone interested in the history and art of sampling. In addition to the expanded double-disc DVD edition of Copyright Criminals, the box set boasts 45 Copyright Criminals All-Stars trading cards, the Copyright Criminals movie poster, stickers, and a 12-inch vinyl record of Clyde Stubblefield's Ultimate Breaks and Beats, pressed exclusively for the box set. The Funky Drummer Edition includes the original documentary, plus featurettes spotlighting Public Enemy's Chuck D, James Brown Band drummer Clyde Stubblefield, and Cee-Lo Green along with the amazing video remix skills of Eclectic Method and other additional content.
Copyright Criminals
Released 2010
Copyright Criminals examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law, and (of course) money. This documentary traces the rise of hip-hop from the urban streets of New York to its current status as a multibillion-dollar industry. For more than thirty years, innovative hip-hop performers and producers have been re-using portions of previously recorded music in new, otherwise original compositions. When lawyers and record companies got involved, what was once referred to as a "borrowed melody" became a "copyright infringement." The film showcases many of hip-hop music's founding figures like Public Enemy, De La Soul, and Digital Underground--while also featuring emerging hip-hop artists from record labels Definitive Jux, Rhymesayers, Ninja Tune, and more. It also provides an in-depth look at artists who have been sampled, such as Clyde Stubblefield (James Brown's drummer and the world's most sampled musician), as well as commentary by another highly sampled musician, funk legend George Clinton.
Freedom of Expression
Released 2007
In 1998, university professor Kembrew McLeod (Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa) trademarked the phrase “freedom of expression” — a startling comment on the way that intellectual property law restricts creativity and the expression of ideas. This provocative and amusing documentary explores the battles being waged in courts, classrooms, museums, film studios, and the Internet over control of our cultural commons. Based on McLeod's award-winning book of the same title, Freedom of Expression® charts the many successful attempts to push back the assault on free expression by overzealous copyright holders. Freedom of Expression® is an essential tool for educators, activists, filmmakers, students, artists, librarians, and more.
Money for Nothing
Published 2001
Of all mass cultural forms, popular music has historically been characterized by the greatest independence for artists and allowing access to a broader diversity of voices. However, in the contemporary period, this independence is being threatened by a shrinking number of record companies, the centralization of radio ownership and playlists, and the increasing integration of popular music into the broader advertising and commercial aspects of the market. Narrated by Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Money for Nothing features interviews with hip-hop legend and pioneer Chuck D, respected independent artist Ani DiFranco, Michael Franti of Spearhead, and Riot Grrrl co-founder Kathleen Hanna (of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre). It also includes interviews with popular music historian Professor Reebee Garafolo, ex-Rolling Stone editor Dave Marsh, political economist Robert W. McChesney, and Shirley Halperin, editor of BOP magazine. Money for Nothing succinctly explains how popular music is produced and marketed, and offers an accessible critique of the current state of popular music.
