Chicks on Speed, Video still, Melissa E. Logan, Edit: Elfe Brandenburger. Camera: Steven Aaron Hughes
Hermeto Pascoal and band, Photo: Gabriel Quintão
Dan Bodan, Photo: Julia Burlingham
Mitch & Mitch & Kassin, Photo: Tomasz Dubiel
Howie Lee, Photo: Jun Yokoyama

Nov 21–24, 2019

Right the Right

Ideas for Music, Copyright and Access

Concerts, talks, performances

Nov 21–24, 2019

Copyright is in crisis. Since digitization at the latest it’s become clear that the many design flaws in copyright law impede the work of creative people. Musicians in particular struggle with the lack of legal certainty and inscrutable payment mechanisms. Digital technologies not only transform creative practices in music and media culture, but also how supply and access are regulated, such as by content filters.

So in the future will the assertions of intellectual property rights decide what music is created and who can listen to it? How are power relations distributed in times of platform economics and streaming services? How could protective and utilization models be redesigned in the interest of art and the public? What rights and regulations make sense in a globalized world? Right the Right explores the problems and proposed changes, future scenarios, enhancements and alternatives for music copyright in concerts, performances, lectures, presentations and discussions.

With concerts by the legendary Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal, who several years ago decided to renounce royalties for the use of his compositions; performative commissioned works on audio ID technologies by Chicks On Speed and Jasmine Guffond, algorithmically processed compositions by Dan Bodan; a joint concert by the copyright critics Mitch & Mitch and copyright advocate Kassin and a sound installation by Jan St. Werner (Mouse On Mars) based on audio material from the US indie rock band The National.

With lectures and discussion input from the artists Holly Herndon & Mat Dryhurst, the legal scholars Ruth Okediji and Niva Elkin-Koren, the economics historian and music streaming researcher Rasmus Fleischer, the free-software artist group Constant, the blockchain expert Carlotta de Ninni and many others.

More about the program…

Part of The New Alphabet