We help you get
closer to your customers.

Commerce sampling art sampling commerce

After a quarter century of litigation-dodging, the music of sampling godfather Steinski has finally been released in a proper compilation.

Steinski (aka Steven Stein) started off as an ad copywriter and his chosen artistic medium continually pushed the limits of fair use. He recently blogged about this New York Times article, which discusses the reciprocity of sampling.

Ever since Andy Warhol made his Brillo boxes, artists have recontextualized advertising as works of art. But recently, companies from Honda to Apple to Vaseline have been doing just the opposite. Can one type of appropriation be considered valid cultural criticism but not the other? How much should ulterior motives be considered (what exactly is being sold here)? The line where fair use turns into theft will continue to move back and forth, but for those of us who work in advertising and also appreciate a good mashup, it’s a line we should keep our eyes on.