Matt Jung Draft Proposal

a) Title: “Let’s Go To Jail! The Mashup and the Future of Music”

b) Abstract
Topic: The Mashup Genre of Music (e.g. Danger Mouse's "The Grey Album")
Interface: Flash
Genre: Interactive Game with components being Essayistic and Encyclopedic
Main Message/ Thesis: The mashup genre is important to music's future in our modern remix culture, as it becomes easier for the average person to become a participant. However, the genre will only be allowed to flourish so much as copyright enforcers allow it.

c) Methodology

The project will have two sections.

-An expository presentation of the evolution of the mashup. The presentation will be a timeline where the user could click on certain works and learn more. It would cover the mashup’s roots in jazz and hip-hop to its emergence as an independent genre. This collection will be an introduction to the genre, and will also show that its popularity is rapidly increasing.

-A display of my new creative work. I will create a mashup album and document my process. Since I am a music performance major, I feel this creative musical process will be a valuable learning experience in my academic field. This will also show how technology is allowing more people (like me) to become participants in our remix culture.

d) Media Presentation & Justification

-The whole experience will be a game, in which every copyright infringement is counted in a video game type counter. Every time a copyrighted piece of music is heard, every time a copyrighted image is shown, and every time an instance of my new work’s infringement is displayed, the game will keep track in terms of a jail sentence. The more the game is used, the higher the jail sentence. This will hopefully show how limiting copyrights are to the genre. With all the creativity by myself and others showcased in this game, it will show how copyrights are hurting that creativity.

-The presentation of the timeline will center around a Monopoly board. Each colored section of Monopoly housing will represent a different era of the timeline. Furthermore, the Monopoly jailer will be the character who alerts the user of their infringement. I choose a Monopoly board for two reasons. 1) The inclusion of a jail and the jailer character to represent the unlawfulness of the actions. 2) By using a Monopoly board in the project, that action itself is infringing.

Hopefully, this project will:
-Introduce and explore a new and rapidly growing form of music
-Allow me to create musically in the form of a new art piece (as musical creation is central to my major)
-Have a meaningful message and give a meaningful warning to society about the future of music

e) Timeline

Spring 2007 - Collect mashup examples.
Summer 2007 - Learn how to create mashups. Choose which albums I will mash-up. Storyboard the project.
August 10, 2007 - Proposal Confirmation
Fall Semester 2007 - Create a 6-song mash-up album. Choose which songs by other people will be included.
Spring Semester 2007 - Assemble interface in Flash.
March 24, 2008 - Project due.

f) Budget

Other mashups: Free (they are not sold)
My albums for mashing-up: $25 (I guess I should be legal)
Monopoly board to photograph for inclusion in project: $25
Completing my IML Thesis: Priceless

Total Cost: $50

g) Advisors

-John Daversa - DMA Candidate in Jazz Studies
-Peggy Weil - IML

h) Presentation

Flash presentation posted on the Internet

i) Resources
Flash, Logic (or something similar), Photoshop

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Matt Jung