Peter Hollens: A Cappella Extraordinaire And New Creator. A self-described “dorky dad,” Peter Hollens is an American singer, songwriter, and producer best known for his a cappella cover songs on YouTube, which have reached more than 400 million viewers and surpassed 1.5 million subscribers. “I believe that the future of music is one in which it goes hand-in-hand with technology,” said Hollens in latest edition of Re:Create Coalition’s profiles examining how the internet is providing new creators with a platform, audience and income. Hollens is a strong believer in the power of working alongside artists by covering their original works. In his eyes, this allows both parties to succeed in regards to monetization and brand recognition. “It’s not about ‘saving’ the original work, it’s about expanding its reach and allowing all artists to profit from more creation and more content,” he said.
Recording Labels Sue Mixtape Website They Used To Promote Their Music. Popular hip-hop mixtape site Spinrilla is fighting back against a copyright lawsuit from record labels, reported TorrentFreak for the article Piracy? RIAA Labels Asked Us to Promote Their Music, Spinrilla Says. Spinrilla alleged that the record labels have been successfully working together for years to identify, prevent and remove unauthorized music. Furthermore, Spinrilla noted how the record labels often requested the online platform host, distribute and promote their music: “This cooperation can and should continue as it benefits not only the parties to this lawsuit, but more importantly, it benefits independent artists and their millions of fans.”
Join Engine For March 28 Discussion On The Limits Of Content Filtering. On Tuesday, March 28, Engine will host a Capitol Hill event, The Limits of Filtering: A Look at the Functionality & Shortcomings of Content Detection Tools, to discuss the DMCA’s important safe harbors provision and to evaluate the impact that filtering tools have on startups and their creative production. The event will feature speakers including Engine’s Executive Director Evan Engstrom and Princeton University Professor Nick Feamster. You can RSVP here.
Explaining The Right To Repair And Digital First Sale. The Irish Times interviewed R Street technology policy fellow Sasha Moss for the article Who owns your toaster? Connected devices divide makers and owners to explain how copyrighted software can prevent owners from repairing their own consumer electronics, such as kitchen appliances, tractors and medical devices. “Having to get permission from the copyright owner of anything is imperative to protect one’s goods,” said Moss. “This is a federal-level copyright problem. The ‘You Own Devices’ (Yoda) Act – which essentially says, if I buy a digital good for a dollar, the copyright is essentially exhausted so it’s mine to sell on – is being introduced for the third time to US lawmakers.”
Must Watch: Public Knowledge Channels John Oliver To Explain End User License Agreements. Public Knowledge (PK) presented its first episode of “Tech Policy Tonight” to explain tech policy and law in a deft parody of John Oliver’s weekly news show. PK’s Raza Panjwani hosts the premiere episode on end user license agreements (EULAs), describing how companies utilize overly-complex EULAs to control how consumers can use their own products, such as the right to resale or repair.
Comic Book Made By Lawyers Examines History Of Music And Copyright. American Library Association’s Carrie Russell reviews a new book, Theft: A History of Music, that she believes “should be in the collection of every library.” In her blog, Inspired by Music: A Copyright History, Russell notes that the book “examines the certainty that music could not written without relying on music that was created before—the ‘standing on the shoulders of giants’ idea.”