Aram Sinnreich on the Law of Sampling & Racial Injustice

In this episode, Aram Sinnreich, a Professor and Graduate Director of the Communication Studies division at American University’s School of Communication, discusses his new book chapter, "Music Sampling Law as Regulatory Vacuum and Check on Black Cultural Power," which will be published in the Oxford Handbook on Sampling in Popular Music, forthcoming from Oxford University Press. Sinnreich begins by describing what sampling is and how it has evolved over time. He explains how copyright law affects sampling, why the legality of sampling is uncertain, and how that uncertainty causes and was caused by racial inequity. He then reflects on how the courts can and should reinterpret sampling law to mitigate those racial inequities. Sinnreich is on Bluesky.

This episode was hosted by Brian L. Frye, Professor of Law at Tulane University School of Law. Frye is on Twitter at @brianlfrye and on Bluesky at @brianlfrye.bsky.social.

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