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de Beer's Digital Music course is a unique, inter-disciplinary and international survey of the global digital music scene. Together we canvas legal, cultural, commercial and technological
aspects of the music industry in countries around the world. The
objective is to think broadly about the policies that affect the future
of digital music, and ultimately, the creation and consumption of our
own culture.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 September 2009 )
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I'm based at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law, and that's where I mainly teach Digital Music. But the course is inter-disciplinary, which makes it both more interesting and more relevant. Not only will topics and issues be discussed in crosscutting ways, students from multiple faculties and departments can register for and participate in the seminars. A modified, intensive version of this course is also offered occasionally abroad, notably at the University of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean city of San Juan.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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No printed casebook or edited materials exist in this field, so I've created lessons that link you directly to the key cases, scholarly literature, news reports, blog postings and other resources you'll need to learn about our subject.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 01 September 2009 )
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Students taking the full course will complete a major research project to deepen their understanding of an area of particular interest to them, and to articulate their own views on the issues. Extensive student-professor interaction and feedback on a series of interim deliverables ensures high calibre outputs, some of which will be of publishable quality. The best papers are eligible to be considered for various awards and prizes.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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The magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away.
Written by Lennon/McCartney
Performed by the Beatles
Recorded on Magical Mystery Tour (Parlophone, 1967)
In the first class (Thu, Sep 10) we'll dive right into the music and multimedia issues that underpin this class. We'll weave discussion of all of the issues that we'll eventually tackle during the course through a series of song and video clips, check out some cutting-edge digital distribution avenues and generally get acquainted with the technologies that influence the music scene online.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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You gotta fight for your right ...
Written by Beastie Boys/Rick Rubin
Performed by Beastie Boys
Recorded on Licensed to Ill (Def Jam, 1982)
The whole music biz is underpinned by fights over intellectual property rights. So to understand the global digital music industry, you've first got to understand IP. That's the focus of this first lesson, covered during classes on Tue/Thu Sep 15/17.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 September 2009 )
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Money, its a crime.
Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie.
Written by Roger Waters
Performed by Pink Floyd
Recorded on The Dark Side of the Moon (Capitol, 1973)
The structure of the music business is insanely complicated, but I'm going to try to simplify it for you. It's all about money. Who pays it and who gets it and how. We're going to sort out the basics during classes Tue/Thu Sep 22/24, breaking down four main activities: composing, performing, recording and merchandising.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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Caught, now in court 'cause I stole a beat.
Composed by Chuck D/Eric "Vietnam" Sadler/Hank Shocklee
Performed by Public Enemy
Recorded on It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988, Def Jam)
Technology now exists that allows anyone to cheaply and easily recycle pieces of our cultural fabric -- music, television programs, movies, characters and so on -- into new creations. The practice of "sampling" involves taking a part of a record, usually an isolated track or distinctive beat, and spinning it into a live performance or remixing it in a new sound recording. But the debate goes back much further than the digital era. We'll explore its origins in early copyright infringement cases, and its evolution to today during week 4 (Sep 29 & Oct 1).
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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Week 5 of the course happens to coincide with a conference I'm attending in West Africa, so I was going to have to cancel class anyways. But this also presents an opportunity to lay off heavy content and give you a period to reflect on your research project. Actually, you should already have put significant work into the project, so this is really an opportunity for you to write up your preliminary results. Remember, your first deliverable is due at the end of this week. Use your time this week wisely.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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I think I'm a clone now
Composed by Ritchie Cordell/Weird Al Yankovic
Performed by Weird Al Yankovic
Recorded on "Even Worse" (1998, Scotti Brothers)
Parody, pistache, mash-up ... whatever you want to call it ... is at the heart of so much "peer produced" content available online these days. How does the law treat this behaviour? How should it? That's what we'll talk about in week 6 (Oct 13 & 15).
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 13 October 2009 )
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And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'
Written by Bob Dylan
Performed by Bob Dylan
Recorded on The Times They Are A Changin' (Columbia, 1964)
Is it legal to rip your CD collection onto your iPod? Seem like a silly question? It isn't. There are a few different types of shifting we'll talk about during week 7 (Oct 22 & 24), all of which raise the same fundamental question: how should the law respond to the commonplace practices of time, format and space shifting.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 19 October 2009 )
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Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Written by John Deacon
Performed by Queen
Recorded on The Game (EMI-Electra, 1980)
The RIAA and its IFPI sister organizations worldwide have sued tens of thousands of people alleged to have shared music on p2p networks. During Week 8 (Oct 27 & 29) we'll study the process and substance of these sorts of cases, including how file sharers are identified, when and where suits are filed, why they are almost always settled and what might happen if they're defended.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 27 October 2009 )
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One thing I can tell you is you got to be free
Come together right now over me
Written by Lennon/McCartney
Performed by The Beatles
Recorded on Abbey Road (Apple Records, 1969)
The lesson for week 9 (Nov 3 & 5) explores some of the issues that arise in respect of designers and/or operators of p2p networks, or other parties indirectly involved with allegedly infringing activities. We'll talk about the evolution of the music industries' hostility toward new technology, from the player piano to broadcast radio to the VCR to the internet. Turns out we're dealing with pretty much the same story repeating itself throughout most of the 20th century and, so far, all of the 21st.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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Chains, my baby's got me locked up in chains.
And they ain't the kind that you can see.
Written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King
Performed by The Beatles
Recorded on Please Please Me (Parlophone, 1963)
There's been a lot written about the digital rights management (DRM), and for good reason. It is an extremely timely and controversial topic. New developments are happening all this time. Some pundits predict that DRM is going the way of the dodo, but I don't fully agree. We'll get your opinions during week 10 (Nov 10 & 11).
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 02 September 2009 )
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The last three weeks (Nov 17, 18, 24 & 26, Dec 1 & 3) together will be spent engaging with your research projects. Each of you will present your findings to the class, followed by a period of feedback and discussion. Some of the specific logistics of this depend on how many students we've got, so further details will be forthcoming. Stay tuned for those.
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