Abstract
The history of audio sampling reaches as far back as the phonograph (Miller, 2004). Although many artists have utilized pastiche and collage in their work, few scholars have examined the products, processes, and implications of sound collage. This paper utilizes Kim-Cohen’s (2009) call for “non-cochlear” analyses of sound to examine the career and works of mashup artist Gregg Gillis, or Girl Talk. Kim-Cohen’s (2009) non-cochlear approach asks us to connect “sonic arts to broader textual, conceptual, social, and political concerns” (p. xix). Appropriately, I contend that Girl Talk’s sound collage albums prompt listeners to think in non-cochlear terms regarding progressive attitudes toward fair use and intellectual property. Girl Talk’s case is curious because his albums include hundreds of samples without any of the artists’ permission. Yet, due to his mainstream success and because his work points to the conceptual, Girl Talk has quickly become the poster child for copyright reform.
Recommended Citation
McDonald, C. Austin II
(2013)
"The Hero of Copyright Reform: Exploring Non-Cochlear Impacts of Girl Talk’s Plunderphonics,"
Kaleidoscope: A Graduate Journal of Qualitative Communication Research: Vol. 12, Article 5.
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/kaleidoscope/vol12/iss1/5