Peeling the Layers of the Onion: Authorship in Mashup and Remix Cultures

The sophisticated critique of the traditional construction of authorship set in motion by Roland Barthes’ 1967 “The Death of the Author,” unfortunately, only partially achieved its goals. The sole, originating, and proprietary author remains at the center of how copyright is understood, despite widespread practices of collaboration, curation, and connection among composers of contemporary works. These practices do not map neatly onto traditional authorship models, creating increasing tensions between copyright law and common composing practices, especially those facilitated by digital media. This project tracks the expanding network of contributors with legally grounded claims to have participated in the authorship of a single, relatively simple mashup. Peeling the layers of this “onion” proves both challenging and instructive—and underscores the need for a legal framework nimble enough to fairly address the complexities of twenty-first-century composing practices.