GoldieBlox vs. Beastie Boys: Justified Parody Or Obvious Ad?
The story of Goldiblox and the Beastie Boys has gained traction in recent days, and for good reason — it's a nuanced conflict with no obvious resolution. Goldiblox is a start-up toymaker with the noble goal of getting girls into engineering and teaching them STEM skills. Their viral video gave the Beastie Boys' "Girls" a female-empowerment lyric makeover without the band's permission, and then Goldiblox slapped the Beasties with a lawsuit as a pre-emptive defense against any legal action. Should Goldiblox be protected under fair use? Pundits from all sides of music and tech have weighed in, and Upward Spiral co-host Jason Spitz gathered three intelligent and insightful voices for a lively conversation.
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Nick Mango (@Alternate1985)
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Wes Davenport (@wesdavenport)
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Less than 12 hours after we recorded this, Goldiblox replaced the “Girls Parody Video” with a new version that has a different music track. They also released a “let’s be friends” statement to the Beastie Boys. Still, I think the conversation in this podcast raises some great points about artists’ rights & the use of music in advertising, and it’s worth hearing. The Beastie Boys’ actions (and their outcome) prove that artists should defend their music and advocate for themselves in a calm, reasoned, but firm manner.