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From the press release:
Producers, remixers and DJs who want to sell their sample-based tracks face the often-insurmountable task of clearing the copyrighted music they sample. Legitmix provides an alternative by enabling consumers to recreate on the binary level a sample-based track using their copy of the original music. Since its debut, music industry insiders, copyright professors and musicians alike have been fascinated with the Legitmix concept and have been eager to see it put into practice.
El-P, acclaimed rapper/producer, founder of legendary hip hop group Company Flow and of the revered indie rap label Def Jux Records is the first artist to release a single through Legitmix sampling a platinum selling artist (Rush). While in the studio completing his upcoming Fat Possum album “Cancer for Cure” El-p switched gears to indulge in what many producers love to do – make songs using whatever sample they choose, even if they know their work won’t see the light of day. The result was a fusion of his new single “Drones Over BKLYN” with Rush’s classic “Tom Sawyer” to create “Rush Over Bklyn”.
Normally, “Rush Over Bklyn” would have been leaked on the Internet or left on some dusty hard drive. Now with Legitmix, El-p can sell his creative work and generate new sales for Rush. For this pioneering releasing, El-p has chosen to help out a friend in need and is donating all proceeds from the sale of “Rush Over Bklyn” to a fund established for the legendary DJ/producer Brad Forste aka DJ MR DIBBS who is battling liver disease. As hospital bills rise, El-P and Legitmix hope to relieve the burden of family and friends that a half a million-dollar debt can produce.
“I did this because I think it’s an interesting idea and approach to the sample clearance issue. Most importantly I hope this raises awareness and money for my good friend, collaborator and hip hop legend Brad Forste aka DJ MR DIBBS. He is suffering from cirrhosis of the liver and (like so many of us) uninsured. He has racked up almost a half a mil in hospital bills after just one month, and he needs help. All proceeds from this song go to him.” -EL-P
PURCHASE “RUSH OVER BKLYN”: http://lgt.mx/+5p
And this is how it works: When a consumer purchases “Rush Over Bkyln”, the browser-based Legitmix software searches their computer for the “Tom Sawyer” track. If they don’t have it they can purchase it from Legitmix or any online music store. With a few mouse clicks, the Legitmix software recreates on the binary level “Rush Over Bklyn” on the consumer’s computer using their copy of “Tom Sawyer”. The price of “Rush Over Bklyn is $0.70 plus the retail cost of the “Tom Sawyer” track (if the consumer doesn’t have it).
