RiP! A Remixer's Manifesto

This documentary film is fascinating. It presents the flaws in U.S. copyright law and profiles the musicians and artists who dare to defy it. The main artist featured -- Greg Gillis, AKA Girl Talk -- is at the front lines of the debate about artists' rights. His music is constituted of "mash-ups", or combinations of popular songs/music from the past. His samples from older music (i.e. Elton John, Queen, Jackson 5, and countless hip-hop artists) produce a fresh vision -- enlivening the old by making it new. In the past couple of years, Girl Talk has become a increasingly popular artist and galvanized supporters worldwide.

I think this quote by the documentarian is particularly compelling: "Copyright [law] is out of control. It has been manipulated for profit, at everyone's expense."

"RiP!", as you might have guessed by now, argues in favor of every individual's right to "remix" pieces of popular culture, free from fear of legal action.

The following manifesto forms the thesis of the work:

The Remixers Manifesto:

1. Culture always builds on the past.
2. The past always tries to control the future.
3. Our Future is becoming less free.
4. To build free societies, you must limit control of the past.

You can watch a trailer for the film here.