(Credits: Far Out / Dylan Mullins / Daniel Robert Dinu / Austin Neill)
Each great rock and roll song has been about building from the past. From the minute that Bo Diddley employed his trademark rhythm on his first tracks or Chuck Berry sculpted the signature guitar lick for generations of players, artists were looking to make their own version of their heroes, all while making everything sound far more mean than those that came before. Although everyone was entitled to draw from their influences, not everything was part of the public domain.
Many aspiring musicians have been pounded with copyright issues throughout rock history when putting together their finest works. When looking at the greatest works by artists like The Beatles and The Beach Boys, even they got slapped on the wrist by the copyright police, claiming that they had ripped off Chuck Berry on pieces like ‘Come Together’ and ‘Surfin’ USA’, respectively.
Now, with the copyright of the original Mickey Mouse illustration entering the public domain, how exactly will rock make the transition into the wild? Although many artists have either sold the copyright of their songs since their glory days or have even made a living off of renewing the copyright for the next generation, there are still going to be a few options that fall through the cracks.
When looking at the timeframe of classic rock, songs that were recorded between 1957 and 1972 will enter the public domain starting on February 15th, 2067. Although many aspiring musicians talked about these rules and regulations as if they were light years away, the years are inching closer than most realise.
This will continue even until the beginning of the grunge movement, with songs recorded between 1972 and 1989 entering the public domain 70 years after the author’s death or 120 years after the publication expires. Even though this is still a long way away, using rock’s classic tracks could be an opportunity for aspiring musicians years later.
Although many artists may have to license samples whenever they clear something for a record, for instance, it will soon become easy to incorporate old songs into the public lexicon. While many artists have been able to include different takes on a track like ‘When the Levee Breaks’ by Led Zeppelin, that initial drum groove will become one of the most important sounds in the world once 2064 rolls around.
For those who will try relentlessly to capture the same magic as artists like The Beatles or Led Zeppelin, the greatest artists of their time will know how to twist the samples into their sonic entity. While the golden age of sampling may have come to a halt when the Beastie Boys were getting sued left and right, this new era of musical development could expound on what an album like Paul’s Boutique or Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back only touched on.
In an era when it costs a small fortune to get a singular drum hit cleared by the copyright police, there’s a good chance that rock entering the public domain will open doors that many thought would remain closed forever. Just like the genre did during its inception, the loss of any copyright laws could lead to artists carrying on the tradition of transforming music to suit one’s needs yet again.
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This article was originally published by a faroutmagazine.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .