Andrew's Internet History Blog

The History of the Internet through the eyes of Historians.

Subliminal Advertising through Copyright Infringement?

Cohen and Rosenzweig’s “Digital History” talks about copyrights and how they’re used, abused, and all other aspects of the copyright laws that exist today. To our generation this is a completely relevant concept as our generation grew up with the internet, and subsequently, were around for and the most exposed to the introduction of music pirating. The outbreak of pirating caused a great deal of turmoil for music artists, especially those struggling to get by. The fact of the matter in the recent past was that with the introduction of the digital age and thus digital music, what was the point of going to the store and paying $10 to $20 for a CD when with one click of a button you could get the same thing for nothing?

However, through all of this, I found it especially intriguing when considering the video about the “Amen Break”, a 6 second drum loop introduced in a 1969 song but subsequently used in widespread fashion for many years afterwards. When I first heard the loop, I recognized it immediately, and while I can not pinpoint specifics songs that use the Amen Break, I nonetheless know that there are many out there that use it. This got me to thinking about subliminal advertising in regards to music samples and music loops. Clearly one can attach some sort of meaning to a mere 6 second loop of a drum solo, as is done with the Amen Break, but can that be used somehow to subliminally advertise for oneself? That is to say, if another music sample is formally linked to a certain song and/or musician, can that loop be used in other songs and provoke thoughts of the original song, thus advertising in subliminal fashion for that song and artist?

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