So today I got this interesting message from Soundcloud:
Hi chaircrusher,
Our automatic content protection system has detected that your sound “Rubber Duckie (Wub Machine Remix)” may contain the following copyright content: “Get Some Fruit (Wubstep Dubstep Remix)” by Anand Bhatt, owned by Favorecido Productions. As a result, its publication on your profile has been blocked.
You can dispute this report, if you believe the copyright content has been mistakenly identified or if you have obtained all the necessary rights, licenses and/or permissions to upload and share this material on SoundCloud.
Please do so by filling out our dispute webform at the following link:https://soundcloud.com/settings/disputes/6512879
If you would like to learn more about copyright, please visit our copyright information page.
Thanks,
The SoundCloud Copyright Team
FYI I didn’t even remember uploading it to Soundcloud — it was just a joke that took about 5 minutes to put together. I kind of love how it turned out, since Sesame Street is embedded in my DNA. If you need to hear it:
[audio:http://www.cornwarning.com/xfer/RubberDucky-WubMachine.mp3|titles=Rubber Ducky Wub Machine Remix|artists=chaircrusher] http://www.cornwarning.com/xfer/RubberDucky-WubMachine.mp3
There are several things that are awesome about this:
- Soundcloud’s automated copyright infringement detector did NOT detect my actual ‘infringement,’ which was against Jeff Moss and Jim Henson, who wrote and performed the original Rubber Duckie. I claim this is fair use, but I’m not going to the wall on that; this was a JOKE track, it isn’t worth it.
- Soundcloud’s audio fingerprint software did detect that there was some common source material in the Rubber Duckie Wubstep remix and that track by Anand Bhatt. That common material is there because Bhatt and I did the same thing: Took an audio file and fed it to the Wub Machine, which is a neat hack that ‘converts’ any audio file into bad dubstep. Feed the Wub Machine random songs, traffic noises, outgoing voicemail messages yadda yadda, and hey presto! Bad dubstep! it’s hours (well, minutes) of fun.
- The most hilarious part of this debacle? This guy Anand Bhatt has released a digital EP which you can buy here on Amazon. Bhatt took what sounds like random crappy songs, ran them through the Wub Machine and released them as his own original ‘remixes’!
What conclusions can I draw from this?
- Soundcloud’s audio fingerprint software is able to detect common elements in two songs. That’s great, but it can’t distinguish between one song sampling another, and two songs containing common source material. So it’s going to generate thousands of false positives. I guarantee that the worst-paid people at Soundcloud are the poor shmoes who have to wade through all the people contesting false positives for copyright infringement.
- Anand Bhatt is a complete tosser. Don’t believe me? Visit his mega-awesome website, or his Amazon Store. All those pictures at the Grammies are curiously absent of any other people, as though he snuck in after hours to get his picture taken in front of the Grammy background. This man has been spending his time inventing an imaginary international rockstar career.
Here’s the transcendent, timeless, original “Rubber Duckie”