www.jeremydebeer.ca

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.

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.

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 interim deliverables, at students' initiative, can ensure high calibre outputs, some of which will be of publishable quality. The best papers are eligible to be considered for various awards and prizes.

When I teach Digital Music by distance education I've got to tweak a few things. The course content and schedule are usually a bit different, and so are the deliverables and method of evaluation. So this post contains info for students doing my course by video conference, or a combination of video conferencing and live classes.

In the first class 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.

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 class by breaking down five main activities: composing, performing, recording, broadcasting and merchandising.
 

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)

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?
 

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 this lesson, all of which raise the same fundamental question: how should the law respond to the commonplace practices of time, format and space shifting.

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 has sued tens of thousands of people alleged to have shared music on p2p networks. During this lesson, we'll study the process and substance of these sorts of cases, including how file sharers were identified, when and where suits were filed, why they were almost always settled and what might happen if they're defended. Although the torrent of litigation has subsided with a change in legal tactics, the issues are nonetheless fascinating today than they were 5 years ago. Indeed, several cases are still simmering. Plus, while the music industry has changed its tune, some movie studios are just gearing up with p2p file sharing cases in the United States and even here in Canada.

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)