May 03, 2008 01:21PM EDT

Talking "Post-Copyright Era" at Tribeca Talks Industry Panel

Even though Al Gore “invented” the Internet years ago, music and film studios still grapple with the participatory media and technology, unclear of how to respond to the rapid advancements in technology. Those who attended Thursday evening’s Tribeca Talks Industry panel, Reuse, Remix, and Renew: Film Tools for the 21st Century, got the CliffsNotes on digital literacy, copyright infringement, and sampling. The Hollywood Reporter’s Georg Szalai gamely moderated as the four panelists offered advice on everything from putting a film on YouTube to using Renew Media’s remarkable sampling license toolkit, called Sample This!, and they made it sound easy.

Paul "DJ Spooky” Miller, who edited Sound Unbound: Sampling Digital Music and Culture, was decidedly excited about, as he called it, “the fun of sneaking through the system.” Having traveled the globe to DJ, Miller said that "most people in the underground music scene live in a post-copyright era. We’re in a rip, mix, and burn culture.”

As technology enables ordinary people to play ball, or at least make music and films, the panelists advocated for digital literacy.  Without knowing what legal rights are reserved, panelist/legal eagle Jennifer Urban warned that “sampling music is the hardest thing for young filmmakers to deal with.” After Urban deftly laid out the challenges of fair use, panelist and creative director of Creative Commons Eric Steuer encouraged the audience to be open to adopting new business models. Both Urban and Steuer recommended people educate themselves on the American University’s Center for Social Media website.  In addition to tangible resources, the panelists offered their own two cents.

DJ Spooky said, “it seems very 20th-century to pay for things. We live in a gift economy.” Even though his audience had paid to attend the panel, they laughed. Lingering long after the panel in The New School’s airy, modern Kellen Gallery ended, several people crowded around to thank the panelists and keep their ears peeled, hoping for more sound advice.