A big hit I’ve missed until now is Kutiman’s ThruYOU mix of YouTube videos. It is an amazing demonstration of what a huge supply of media can make possible, a whole set of songs mixed from nothing beyond YouTube videos.
Though he gives full credit to the videos he uses in his mixes, I don’t have any sense that he asked permission of the original creators. He has created something new, this is our culture of the network. Collaborators who don’t even know they are collaborating! Ask yourself, would a young singer in her living room keep her voice off YouTube after seeing the way Kutiman used this wonderful singer?
In fact, I would have never known Sarah Amstutz existed without ThruYOU. But Kutiman’s credits led me to her original version of this song and from there to some of the other great music Sarah is writing. Watch for her, I think she’ll be much more well known soon.
What a wonderful journey this standing on the shoulders of everyone makes. Here’s to hoping we never become so wise we outlaw creativity!