Influential rock-and-roller David Bowie and car company Audi have teamed up to mash-up. Audi is running an ad featuring a mash-up of Bowie's classic "Rebel, Rebel" with his new "Never Grow Old".
Now they're holding a contest for the best fan-submitted mash-up of two Bowie songs, and giving an Audi TT to the winner (as vetted by visitors, judges, and Bowie himself). And the mainstreaming of remix culture continues...
Category: IP Use
As a sometime mash-up maker, this contest is awfully tempting, but there are a few things about it that are lame. First, the contest runners don't provide contestants with any actual acapella Bowie vocals, which would help produce better mixes. Secondly, by submitting a bootleg, the mixer gives up all his rights to the track -- so even if a mix wins nothing, it could still be included on a compilation with no remuneration going to the person who had done the remixing. I have mixed feelings about that.
Permalink to Comment