Book Review By: Paul G. Lyons
Abstract: Musicologist Joanna Demers introduces the reader to the world of transformative appropriation, where artists and arrangers borrow from other musical works. The author, through a careful study of various musicians, warns the reader of the possible negative effects of increasingly protective IP law. Her research of IP law and the affect on musical and cultural creativity aims to make readers aware of a threat that could potentially stifle transformative appropriation and the creation of new musical works in general.
About the Author: Joanna Demers is an Assistant Professor of Musicology at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. Her work focuses on 20th and 21st century popular music as well as intellectual property rights. In 2002, she received her PhD in musicology from Princeton University, and her doctoral dissertation, Sampling as Lineage in Hip-hop, received the Alvin Johnson AMS 50 Fellowship in 2001. Ms. Demers contributes significantly to the music and intellectual property community. Her work has appeared in Popular Music, the Journal of Popular Music, and the Social Science Research Network.