Mashups can be complicated when it comes to copyright laws. Musicians and publishing labels want to protect the music they create while mashup artists would want the freedom of using music that is out there without getting into a lawsuit. These artists want to fully exercise their creative freedom but copyright laws put a limit to this freedom. Usually mashup artists do change the music enough so that it can be recognized for its own merits while the original song is still recognizable. Some artists have collaborated with mashup artists but usually to keep the benefits for themselves. If it were easy to get permission to use someone else’s music then everyone would be doing it. However, it is unlikely that labels, artists, and publishers would all agree for someone to use their music since they would not gain any monetary value. Even if the mashup is distributed for free, artists and the ones who hold the rights to the music are still likely to sue.
The article by Sasha Frere-Jones, 1+1+1+1=1 The New Math of Mashups, states, “Mark Vidler, known professionally as Go Home Productions, explained some other benefits of digital technology to me in London not long ago: “You don’t need a distributor, because your distribution is the Internet. You don’t need a record label, because it’s your bedroom, and you don’t need a recording studio, because that’s your computer. You do it all yourself.” These are the freedom mashups artists have. They could just sample music they find online and create something new entirely. I still believe it is unfair that if I make a song, anyone can use pieces of it if not the entire song to create something for themselves. This topic is controversial and definitely needs revision by regulators in order to protect artists and possibly at the same time give some freedom to mashup artists. With the internet, anyone can use someone else’s work and make their own based on that. Since there is so much information shared online, I believe it is hard to prohibit people from using other people’s work for their own creativity. I believe this is good for people to get inspired but I do not believe it is fair for someone to benefit off the original work of someone else even though it happens in other industries.