Papers by Tolga Darcan
Bu çalışmada, kültürlerin ve geleneklerin hiçbir zaman ‘saf’ ve ‘özgün’ hâlde bulunmadıkları, ‘ya... more Bu çalışmada, kültürlerin ve geleneklerin hiçbir zaman ‘saf’ ve ‘özgün’ hâlde bulunmadıkları, ‘yaratılışlarının’ mübadele, uzlaşma, temellük etme, adaptasyon, melezleşme gibi süreçlere dayandığı varsayımından yola çıkılmıştır. Buna göre bir kültürün veya geleneğin oluşması, zorunlu olarak diyalogdan geçer; bölgesel ve uluslararası çevreyle karşılıklı ilişki içinde gelişir. Bunun yanında her gelenek, belirli toplumsal ihtiyaçlar ışığında sonradan icat edilir ve yeniden icat edilir. Bu yaratılış süreci, bazen nispeten ‘doğal’ denebilecek yollarla gerçekleşirken, zaman zaman ise bilinçli bir senkretizm çabasına dayanır. Bu makale, kendilerini ‘Osmanlı şehir müziği’ yapan bir grup olarak tanımlayan ve tahayyül ettikleri bu ‘geleneksel’ müziği popüler müzik çalgılarından da faydalanmak suretiyle ‘modernleştirerek’ icra eden Kırıka özelinde; geleneğin canlandırılması, yeniden yaratılması ve tahayyül yoluyla icat edilmesi sacayağında konuya hem analitik bir yaklaşım getirmeye çalışır, hem de geleneğin yaratılma süreçlerindeki varsayımlara yönelik eleştirel bir bakış geliştirmeyi amaçlar.
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This study relies upon the hypothesis that cultures and traditions are never ‘pure’ and ‘genuine’, and their ‘creation’ is based on processes like cultural exchange, reconciliation, appropriation, adaptation, and hybridization. In line with this assumption, a culture or a tradition can only form by dialog, and they develop by interacting with regional and international milieu. In addition, each tradition gets invented and reinvented afterwards in concert with certain social needs. This creation process sometimes bears upon manners that can be called relatively ‘natural’, while it also takes deliberate stabs at syncretism from time to time. This paper, investigating the case of Kırıka which describe themselves as a band performing ‘Ottoman urban music’ but use pop music instruments at the same time and modernize such ‘imagined’ traditional music by doing so, attempts to give an analytical insight for the topic based on the concepts of revival, recreation and invention of tradition, and develops a critical approach towards the assumptions employed while fabricating the tradition.
Bu makale, bugünkü biçimini geçtiğimiz yüzyılda almış olan telif hakları konseptinin müzik özelin... more Bu makale, bugünkü biçimini geçtiğimiz yüzyılda almış olan telif hakları konseptinin müzik özelinde günümüz koşullarına uygunluğunu, teknolojik ve kültürel değişimler ışığında incelemeye çalışır. Bu bağlamda, ilk olarak bu konseptin kısa bir tanımına ve uygulanmasına ilişkin örneklere yer verir; ardından ise müziğin üretim, dağıtım ve tüketim boyutları üzerinde durarak 20. yüzyıl ile 21. yüzyıl arasındaki farklara değinir. Bu farkların temel sebebi, teknolojide görülen değişimler ile bu değişimlerin kültürel alana yansımasının tamamen yeni bir durum meydana getirmiş olmasıdır. Bu yeni durumun niteliklerinden biri de, müziğin tüketim ve üretim boyutlarının her geçen gün daha fazla iç içe geçmesiyle birlikte, daha önce görülmemiş yeni yaratıcılık alanlarının ortaya çıkışıdır. Makale bütün bunları, müzikte telif hakları konseptinin gözden geçirilme ihtiyacı ile ilişkili bir şekilde aktarmaya çalışır. Telif hakları alanında geliştirilen yeni alternatifler ve bu alternatifler arasında en çok öne çıkanlardan biri olan Creative Commons üzerinde durur. Gelecekteki olası durumlara da işaret etmeye çalışarak telif haklarına ilişkin yasaların yeniden düzenlenme gereksinimine vurgu yapar.
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This article investigates the relevance of the concept of copyright, which took its modern form in the last century, to the present conditions specific to music in the light of technological and cultural changes. Firstly, it provides a basic definition of copyright along with examples related to its implementation. Then, it dwells on production, distribution and consumption dimensions of music, addressing their differences between 20th and 21st centuries. The main cause of these differences is that there have been radical changes in technology and that reflections of these changes on cultural field have created a completely new paradigm. One of the characteristics of this new paradigm is that unprecedented creativity techniques and ideas are emerged in conjunction with the continuing intertwinement of the consumption and production dimensions of music. The article tries to express all these issues in relation to the need of alteration of the copyright concept, and discusses new alternatives to copyright, especially the most prominent one being Creative Commons. Pointing out the potential developments, it emphasizes the need of reformulation of the laws and regulations related to copyright.
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Extended English Abstract:
Copyright provides the creator (usually referred as ‘author’) of any literary or artistic work with exclusive rights on the use and distribution of the work for a given period within the scope of the current laws in a country. In relation to musical works, during this given period, a consumer shall only be allowed to listen to the work: he/she shall not be allowed to copy or reproduce it, share it with others, or perform it publicly. Neither shall the consumer attempt a creative activity completely or partially based on the work. This condition is mostly valid even for the person who composed the musical piece. For example, Paul McCartney is obliged to make payments to the Sony/ATV Music Publishing company in order to be able to perform the songs he composed when he was a member of the Beatles, for each and every concert. This is because these rights (to produce copies or reproductions of the work and to sell those copies, to perform the work publicly, to create derivative works, and such) are completely or partially transferred to publishers in return for considerably lower royalties. The reason for this is that a musical work should pass through several stages until it meets with its audience: being recorded, being turned into a tangible product, reproduction, and regional, national or global distribution. We should also mention promotional activities and advertising. Until the 21st century, it has not been possible for authors to carry out these stages on their own. The contemporary technology, however, has created a new economic and cultural situation: it has enabled authors to easily record, reproduce and distribute their own works; and moreover provided many people with the opportunity to express themselves, engaging in creative activities and producing derivative works, based on copyrighted works. The current concept of copyright has, therefore, become outdated and incompatible with the economic and cultural situation of today.
Social and economic circumstances of each era render certain concepts useful and require them to be used. That the techniques of mass production and distribution have become applicable to the field of music in the 20th century, and the technological and economic structure of the era, has provided the copyright regulations and current percept of copyright with a legitimate basis in a given historical period. But the main dynamics of the production and consumption of music have again changed in the 21st century by virtue of technological developments. While musicians began to create works in more comfortable and easier conditions, both the number of those who are interested in creative musical activities and the number of works increased. People create more works now and engage in many different creative activities based on previously copyrighted works. Moreover, they share and distribute these derivative works by their own means. This is also a precursor of a new economic model in society. The music industry had almost completely broken the bonds and relationships between the musical work and both its creator and consumer; but now, the Internet and new technologies are in a position to restore these relationships even more tightly.
This article aims to shed light on this paradigm shift. First, it examines the workings of the music industry throughout the 20th century and the challenge it has been facing since the late 20th century. This challenge is valid not only for the production and consumption of music but also for its sharing among consumers. Drawing on Raymond William’s definition of ‘culture’, the article argues that people’s music listening and sharing habits should be assessed considering the cultural context, so the new situation is ‘cultural’, and that the current laws are in contradiction with the actual cultural reality. And if history has taught us anything, it is that social attitudes always overcome laws in such conflict situations, and force them to change.
The new technological and cultural situation has not only changed the way the music is produced and consumed, but also blurred the dividing lines between the author and the consumer. In this context, the article suggests that the conceptualization of ‘creativity’ and ‘author’ must be questioned, and it lays emphasis on the ‘new creativity fields’ such as mix, remix, and sampling. It argues that the copyright laws hinder cultural production by declaring a large part of these creative activities ‘illegal’. After indicating the unsustainability of the current situation through various examples, the article addresses Creative Commons, one of the most promising solutions to the problem, which is based on the principle that all cultural works are interconnected and they can, therefore, not be treated and marketed as individual/independent products. Even in its most restricted usage, Creative Commons, which has six main license types, allows non-commercial, individual, and cultural use and sharing of the licensed work. Its license that provides the most broad usage, on the other hand, grants that the licensed work can be shared, copied, edited, remixed, used for creating derivative works, and even for commercial purposes. Many features of this open licensing system, that is compatible with the digital age in which we are living, make it one of the best alternatives to the current concept of copyright.
In conclusion, the novelties that 21st century has brought along have profoundly influenced our daily life, changed our behavior patterns and, beyond that, radically transformed our perception of ‘community’. Today, people from all over the world can easily communicate with each other, and millions of people lead a new understanding of ‘society’ by creating new communities in virtual networks. With the extensive sharing practices on the Internet, individuals have the opportunity to access each and every cultural product without time and place restrictions, use them, add on, develop and transform them, and create derivative works from them. The technologies that created this transformation and caused new ways of social behavior, thinking and acting to emerge, have irreversibly penetrated into our life within the last decade. As a result of this, there have been considerable changes both in the workings of the music industry and its sources of income, and it is thought that this tendency will continue even faster in the years to come. However, those who have dominated the industry throughout the 20th century could not accommodate themselves to this new situation. They still try to keep the old paradigm prevail by using the copyright laws and regulations which do not respond to actual needs and conflict with the ongoing paradigm shift. In light of the above considerations, this article emphasizes that it became an urgent need that the copyright laws should be rearranged in accordance with the current cultural context that characterizes the era.
Dissertations by Tolga Darcan
Bu çalışmada müzik ürünlerinin üretim, dağıtım, tüketim ve paylaşım örüntülerine teknolojik geliş... more Bu çalışmada müzik ürünlerinin üretim, dağıtım, tüketim ve paylaşım örüntülerine teknolojik gelişmelerin tesiri ve özel olarak İnternet teknolojisinin telif hakkı kavramı ve uygulaması üzerindeki dönüştürücü etkisi incelenir. Bu tezin amacı telif hakları alanında güncel bir problem haline gelmiş olan bu dönüştürücü etkinin analiz edilmesi ve konu hakkında geniş bir perspektif sunulmasıdır. Çalışma için veriler literatür taraması, görüşme ve yazışmalar yoluyla toplanmış ve toplanan bu veriler yorumlanmıştır. Çalışmanın Birinci Bölümünde mülkiyet ve fikrî mülkiyet kavramları açıklanmış, İkinci Bölümde telif hakları olgusunun tarihsel gelişimi derinlemesine incelenerek bu olgunun ortaya çıkışının ve sürekli maruz kaldığı biçimsel değişimlerin nedenleri üzerinde durulmuştur. Üçüncü Bölüm, müzik endüstrisi ile geçtiğimiz yüzyıl boyunca ortaya çıkmış teknolojiler arasındaki ilişkiye değinir ve İnternet teknolojisinin insan hayatına kattığı çeşitli pratikler ile müzik endüstrisi arasındaki güncel gerilim durumunu örnekler. Bu durumun hukuk ve siyasete yansıması üzerinde de ayrıntılı bir şekilde durulmuştur. Dördüncü ve son bölüm ise bütün bu gelişmeleri bir paradigma kayması olarak değerlendirmeyi önererek telif hakkı kavramının yalnızca biçiminde değil, özünde de fiilî bir dönüşüm yaşandığını sosyo-kültürel ve sosyo-ekonomik bağlamlar içerisinde açıklamaya çalışır.
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This study examines the effect of technological developments on production, distribution, consumption and sharing patterns of musical products and, more particularly, the transformative impact of Internet technology on the concept and practice of copyright. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze aforesaid transformative impact which has already become an actual problem, and to provide a broad perspective about the subject matter. Data and information for this study were collected through literature review and interviews, and these data and information were interpreted. The First Chapter of this study explains the notions of property and intellectual property. The Second Chapter, examining the historical development of the concept of copyright in detail, emphasises the motives of the birth and the continuous exposure to formal alterations of this concept. Chapter Three addresses the relationship between the music industry and the technologies emerged in the last century, and illustrates the current tension situation between the music industry and various practices that the Internet technology brought to human life. The reflection of this situation on law and politics is also examined in detail. Proposing to interpret all of these evolvements as a paradigm shift, the Fourth and final chapter makes an effort to explain, in socio-cultural and socio-economic contexts, that the concept of copyright has been going through an actual transformation not only formally, but also substantially.
Drafts by Tolga Darcan
Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de 2009 Nisan ayı itibariyle yayın hayatını sürdüren müzik dergilerinin müzik... more Bu çalışma, Türkiye’de 2009 Nisan ayı itibariyle yayın hayatını sürdüren müzik dergilerinin müziksel söylemi üzerine inşa edilmeye çalışılan bir popüler müzik incelemesidir. Çalışmada öncelikle Pierre Bourdieu’nün ‘kültürel üretim sahaları’ kavramından ve John Fiske’nin ‘yayıncılık kodları’ ile ilgili kategorizasyonundan yararlanılarak Türkiye popüler müzik dergiciliği özelinde bir kültürel üretim sahası şeması oluşturulmaya çalışılır. Ardından Ayhan Erol’un ‘otantisite’ kavramına getirdiği açılımdan faydalanılarak bu dergilerde ‘kültür aracıları’ olarak iş gören yazarların ‘yazar otantisitesi’ bağlamındaki otantisite anlayışları incelenir. Son olarak ise yazar otantisitesi anlayışları ile içinde iş görülen kültürel üretim sahaları ve kullanılan yayıncılık kodları arasındaki bağlantılar üzerinde durulur.
Conference Presentations by Tolga Darcan
Bu çalışmada, kültürlerin ve geleneklerin hiçbir zaman “saf” ve “özgün” hâlde bulunmadıkları, “ya... more Bu çalışmada, kültürlerin ve geleneklerin hiçbir zaman “saf” ve “özgün” hâlde bulunmadıkları, “yaratılışlarının” mübadele, uzlaşma, temellük etme, adaptasyon, melezleşme gibi süreçlere dayandığı varsayımından yola çıkılmıştır. Buna göre bir kültürün veya geleneğin oluşması, zorunlu olarak diyalogdan geçer; bölgesel ve uluslararası çevreyle karşılıklı ilişki içinde gelişir. Bunun yanında her gelenek, belirli toplumsal ihtiyaçlar ışığında sonradan icat edilir ve yeniden icat edilir. Bu yaratılış süreci, bazen nispeten “doğal” denebilecek yollarla gerçekleşirken, zaman zaman ise bilinçli bir senkretizm çabasına dayanır. Bu bildiri, kendilerini “Osmanlı Şehir Müziği” yapan bir grup olarak tanımlayan ve tahayyül ettikleri bu “geleneksel” müziği popüler müzik çalgılarından da faydalanmak suretiyle “modernleştirerek” icra eden Kırıka özelinde; geleneğin canlandırılması, yeniden yaratılması ve tahayyül yoluyla icat edilmesi sacayağında konuya hem analitik bir yaklaşım getirmeye çalışır, hem de geleneğin yaratılma süreçlerindeki varsayımlara yönelik eleştirel bir bakış geliştirmeyi amaçlar.
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This study relies upon the hypothesis that cultures and traditions are never “pure” and “genuine”, and their “creation” is based on processes like cultural exchange, reconciliation, acquisition, adaptation, and hybridization. In line with this assumption, a culture or a tradition can only form by dialog, and they develop by interacting with regional and international milieu. In addition, each tradition gets invented and reinvented afterwards in concert with certain social needs. This creation process sometimes bears upon manners that can be called relatively “natural”, while it also takes deliberate stabs at syncretism from time to time. This paper, investigating the case of Kırıka which describe themselves as a band performing “Ottoman urban music” but use pop music instruments at the same time and modernize such "imagined” traditional music by doing so, attempts to give an analytical insight for the topic based on the concepts of revival, recreation and invention of tradition, and develops a critical approach towards the assumptions employed while fabricating the tradition.
Müzik dergileri, sanatçılar ve onların müşterileri arasında önemli bir aracı medyadır. Bu dergile... more Müzik dergileri, sanatçılar ve onların müşterileri arasında önemli bir aracı medyadır. Bu dergilerin yazar ve eleştirmenleri popüler müzik üzerindeki bahsin yaratılmasında tarihi bir rol oynamışlardır. Türkiye’de de popüler müzik dergilerinin yayıncıları ve yazarları belirli bir “kültürel üretim sahası” içerisinde “kültür aracıları” olarak iş görüyorlar. Bu kültür aracılarının her biri de çeşitli müziksel söylemler aracılığıyla belirli bir otantisite anlayışını yansıtıyor.
Bu çalışma Türkiye’de 2009 Nisan ayı itibariyle yayın hayatını sürdüren müzik dergilerinin müziksel söylemi üzerine inşa edilmeye çalışılan bir popüler müzik incelemesidir. Çalışmada öncelikle Pierre Bourdieu’nün “saha” (field), “kültürel üretim” (cultural production) ve “kültür aracıları” (cultural intermediaries) kavramları ve John Fiske’nin “yayıncılık kodları”yla ilgili kategorizasyonunun yardımıyla Türkiye popüler müzik dergiciliği özelinde bir “kültürel üretim sahası” şeması oluşturulmaya çalışılır. Ardından Ayhan Erol’un “otantisite” kavramına getirdiği açılımdan faydalanılarak bu dergilerde kültür aracıları olarak iş gören yazarların “yazar otantisitesi” bağlamındaki otantisite anlayışları incelenir. Son olarak ise yazar otantisitesi anlayışları ile içinde iş görülen kültürel üretim sahaları ve kullanılan yayıncılık kodları arasındaki bağlantılar üzerinde durulur.
Magazine Articles by Tolga Darcan
Evrensel Pazar, 2016
Kimileri dava insanıdır, bir davaya inanır ve yaşamları boyu yalnızca onun peşinden giderler. Diğ... more Kimileri dava insanıdır, bir davaya inanır ve yaşamları boyu yalnızca onun peşinden giderler. Diğerleri ise değişimlere, gelişimlere, farklı seslere ve farklı renklere daha açıktır; dönem dönem fikirlerini gözden geçirmeyi, kendilerini revize etmeyi tercih ederler. Müzisyenler için de benzer bir ayrımdan söz edilebilir. Pek çoğu kısa sürede bir kimlik edinir ve tüm kariyerlerini o kimlik üzerine kurarlar. Bazıları ise tek bir kimliğe, tek bir tarza bağlı kalmayı yaratıcı zihinlerine aykırı ve kısıtlayıcı bularak her seferinde değişik bir şey denemek, farklı bir yöne gitmek ister. Geçen Pazar bu dünyadaki yolculuğunu sona erdiren David Robert Jones ya da hepimizin bildiği adıyla David Bowie, ikinci kategoriye aitti. Hatta o kategorinin en önde gelen isimlerinden biriydi.
Bant, 2007
Zamanın ruhunu harikulade bir şekilde yansıtan Monterey Uluslararası Pop Festivali, “Aşk Yazı”nın... more Zamanın ruhunu harikulade bir şekilde yansıtan Monterey Uluslararası Pop Festivali, “Aşk Yazı”nın kırkıncı yıldönümünde “ruhu olan zamanlar”a her daim ihtiyaç duyduğumuzu hatırlatıyor.
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Papers by Tolga Darcan
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This study relies upon the hypothesis that cultures and traditions are never ‘pure’ and ‘genuine’, and their ‘creation’ is based on processes like cultural exchange, reconciliation, appropriation, adaptation, and hybridization. In line with this assumption, a culture or a tradition can only form by dialog, and they develop by interacting with regional and international milieu. In addition, each tradition gets invented and reinvented afterwards in concert with certain social needs. This creation process sometimes bears upon manners that can be called relatively ‘natural’, while it also takes deliberate stabs at syncretism from time to time. This paper, investigating the case of Kırıka which describe themselves as a band performing ‘Ottoman urban music’ but use pop music instruments at the same time and modernize such ‘imagined’ traditional music by doing so, attempts to give an analytical insight for the topic based on the concepts of revival, recreation and invention of tradition, and develops a critical approach towards the assumptions employed while fabricating the tradition.
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This article investigates the relevance of the concept of copyright, which took its modern form in the last century, to the present conditions specific to music in the light of technological and cultural changes. Firstly, it provides a basic definition of copyright along with examples related to its implementation. Then, it dwells on production, distribution and consumption dimensions of music, addressing their differences between 20th and 21st centuries. The main cause of these differences is that there have been radical changes in technology and that reflections of these changes on cultural field have created a completely new paradigm. One of the characteristics of this new paradigm is that unprecedented creativity techniques and ideas are emerged in conjunction with the continuing intertwinement of the consumption and production dimensions of music. The article tries to express all these issues in relation to the need of alteration of the copyright concept, and discusses new alternatives to copyright, especially the most prominent one being Creative Commons. Pointing out the potential developments, it emphasizes the need of reformulation of the laws and regulations related to copyright.
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Extended English Abstract:
Copyright provides the creator (usually referred as ‘author’) of any literary or artistic work with exclusive rights on the use and distribution of the work for a given period within the scope of the current laws in a country. In relation to musical works, during this given period, a consumer shall only be allowed to listen to the work: he/she shall not be allowed to copy or reproduce it, share it with others, or perform it publicly. Neither shall the consumer attempt a creative activity completely or partially based on the work. This condition is mostly valid even for the person who composed the musical piece. For example, Paul McCartney is obliged to make payments to the Sony/ATV Music Publishing company in order to be able to perform the songs he composed when he was a member of the Beatles, for each and every concert. This is because these rights (to produce copies or reproductions of the work and to sell those copies, to perform the work publicly, to create derivative works, and such) are completely or partially transferred to publishers in return for considerably lower royalties. The reason for this is that a musical work should pass through several stages until it meets with its audience: being recorded, being turned into a tangible product, reproduction, and regional, national or global distribution. We should also mention promotional activities and advertising. Until the 21st century, it has not been possible for authors to carry out these stages on their own. The contemporary technology, however, has created a new economic and cultural situation: it has enabled authors to easily record, reproduce and distribute their own works; and moreover provided many people with the opportunity to express themselves, engaging in creative activities and producing derivative works, based on copyrighted works. The current concept of copyright has, therefore, become outdated and incompatible with the economic and cultural situation of today.
Social and economic circumstances of each era render certain concepts useful and require them to be used. That the techniques of mass production and distribution have become applicable to the field of music in the 20th century, and the technological and economic structure of the era, has provided the copyright regulations and current percept of copyright with a legitimate basis in a given historical period. But the main dynamics of the production and consumption of music have again changed in the 21st century by virtue of technological developments. While musicians began to create works in more comfortable and easier conditions, both the number of those who are interested in creative musical activities and the number of works increased. People create more works now and engage in many different creative activities based on previously copyrighted works. Moreover, they share and distribute these derivative works by their own means. This is also a precursor of a new economic model in society. The music industry had almost completely broken the bonds and relationships between the musical work and both its creator and consumer; but now, the Internet and new technologies are in a position to restore these relationships even more tightly.
This article aims to shed light on this paradigm shift. First, it examines the workings of the music industry throughout the 20th century and the challenge it has been facing since the late 20th century. This challenge is valid not only for the production and consumption of music but also for its sharing among consumers. Drawing on Raymond William’s definition of ‘culture’, the article argues that people’s music listening and sharing habits should be assessed considering the cultural context, so the new situation is ‘cultural’, and that the current laws are in contradiction with the actual cultural reality. And if history has taught us anything, it is that social attitudes always overcome laws in such conflict situations, and force them to change.
The new technological and cultural situation has not only changed the way the music is produced and consumed, but also blurred the dividing lines between the author and the consumer. In this context, the article suggests that the conceptualization of ‘creativity’ and ‘author’ must be questioned, and it lays emphasis on the ‘new creativity fields’ such as mix, remix, and sampling. It argues that the copyright laws hinder cultural production by declaring a large part of these creative activities ‘illegal’. After indicating the unsustainability of the current situation through various examples, the article addresses Creative Commons, one of the most promising solutions to the problem, which is based on the principle that all cultural works are interconnected and they can, therefore, not be treated and marketed as individual/independent products. Even in its most restricted usage, Creative Commons, which has six main license types, allows non-commercial, individual, and cultural use and sharing of the licensed work. Its license that provides the most broad usage, on the other hand, grants that the licensed work can be shared, copied, edited, remixed, used for creating derivative works, and even for commercial purposes. Many features of this open licensing system, that is compatible with the digital age in which we are living, make it one of the best alternatives to the current concept of copyright.
In conclusion, the novelties that 21st century has brought along have profoundly influenced our daily life, changed our behavior patterns and, beyond that, radically transformed our perception of ‘community’. Today, people from all over the world can easily communicate with each other, and millions of people lead a new understanding of ‘society’ by creating new communities in virtual networks. With the extensive sharing practices on the Internet, individuals have the opportunity to access each and every cultural product without time and place restrictions, use them, add on, develop and transform them, and create derivative works from them. The technologies that created this transformation and caused new ways of social behavior, thinking and acting to emerge, have irreversibly penetrated into our life within the last decade. As a result of this, there have been considerable changes both in the workings of the music industry and its sources of income, and it is thought that this tendency will continue even faster in the years to come. However, those who have dominated the industry throughout the 20th century could not accommodate themselves to this new situation. They still try to keep the old paradigm prevail by using the copyright laws and regulations which do not respond to actual needs and conflict with the ongoing paradigm shift. In light of the above considerations, this article emphasizes that it became an urgent need that the copyright laws should be rearranged in accordance with the current cultural context that characterizes the era.
Dissertations by Tolga Darcan
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This study examines the effect of technological developments on production, distribution, consumption and sharing patterns of musical products and, more particularly, the transformative impact of Internet technology on the concept and practice of copyright. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze aforesaid transformative impact which has already become an actual problem, and to provide a broad perspective about the subject matter. Data and information for this study were collected through literature review and interviews, and these data and information were interpreted. The First Chapter of this study explains the notions of property and intellectual property. The Second Chapter, examining the historical development of the concept of copyright in detail, emphasises the motives of the birth and the continuous exposure to formal alterations of this concept. Chapter Three addresses the relationship between the music industry and the technologies emerged in the last century, and illustrates the current tension situation between the music industry and various practices that the Internet technology brought to human life. The reflection of this situation on law and politics is also examined in detail. Proposing to interpret all of these evolvements as a paradigm shift, the Fourth and final chapter makes an effort to explain, in socio-cultural and socio-economic contexts, that the concept of copyright has been going through an actual transformation not only formally, but also substantially.
Drafts by Tolga Darcan
Conference Presentations by Tolga Darcan
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This study relies upon the hypothesis that cultures and traditions are never “pure” and “genuine”, and their “creation” is based on processes like cultural exchange, reconciliation, acquisition, adaptation, and hybridization. In line with this assumption, a culture or a tradition can only form by dialog, and they develop by interacting with regional and international milieu. In addition, each tradition gets invented and reinvented afterwards in concert with certain social needs. This creation process sometimes bears upon manners that can be called relatively “natural”, while it also takes deliberate stabs at syncretism from time to time. This paper, investigating the case of Kırıka which describe themselves as a band performing “Ottoman urban music” but use pop music instruments at the same time and modernize such "imagined” traditional music by doing so, attempts to give an analytical insight for the topic based on the concepts of revival, recreation and invention of tradition, and develops a critical approach towards the assumptions employed while fabricating the tradition.
Bu çalışma Türkiye’de 2009 Nisan ayı itibariyle yayın hayatını sürdüren müzik dergilerinin müziksel söylemi üzerine inşa edilmeye çalışılan bir popüler müzik incelemesidir. Çalışmada öncelikle Pierre Bourdieu’nün “saha” (field), “kültürel üretim” (cultural production) ve “kültür aracıları” (cultural intermediaries) kavramları ve John Fiske’nin “yayıncılık kodları”yla ilgili kategorizasyonunun yardımıyla Türkiye popüler müzik dergiciliği özelinde bir “kültürel üretim sahası” şeması oluşturulmaya çalışılır. Ardından Ayhan Erol’un “otantisite” kavramına getirdiği açılımdan faydalanılarak bu dergilerde kültür aracıları olarak iş gören yazarların “yazar otantisitesi” bağlamındaki otantisite anlayışları incelenir. Son olarak ise yazar otantisitesi anlayışları ile içinde iş görülen kültürel üretim sahaları ve kullanılan yayıncılık kodları arasındaki bağlantılar üzerinde durulur.
Magazine Articles by Tolga Darcan
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This study relies upon the hypothesis that cultures and traditions are never ‘pure’ and ‘genuine’, and their ‘creation’ is based on processes like cultural exchange, reconciliation, appropriation, adaptation, and hybridization. In line with this assumption, a culture or a tradition can only form by dialog, and they develop by interacting with regional and international milieu. In addition, each tradition gets invented and reinvented afterwards in concert with certain social needs. This creation process sometimes bears upon manners that can be called relatively ‘natural’, while it also takes deliberate stabs at syncretism from time to time. This paper, investigating the case of Kırıka which describe themselves as a band performing ‘Ottoman urban music’ but use pop music instruments at the same time and modernize such ‘imagined’ traditional music by doing so, attempts to give an analytical insight for the topic based on the concepts of revival, recreation and invention of tradition, and develops a critical approach towards the assumptions employed while fabricating the tradition.
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This article investigates the relevance of the concept of copyright, which took its modern form in the last century, to the present conditions specific to music in the light of technological and cultural changes. Firstly, it provides a basic definition of copyright along with examples related to its implementation. Then, it dwells on production, distribution and consumption dimensions of music, addressing their differences between 20th and 21st centuries. The main cause of these differences is that there have been radical changes in technology and that reflections of these changes on cultural field have created a completely new paradigm. One of the characteristics of this new paradigm is that unprecedented creativity techniques and ideas are emerged in conjunction with the continuing intertwinement of the consumption and production dimensions of music. The article tries to express all these issues in relation to the need of alteration of the copyright concept, and discusses new alternatives to copyright, especially the most prominent one being Creative Commons. Pointing out the potential developments, it emphasizes the need of reformulation of the laws and regulations related to copyright.
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Extended English Abstract:
Copyright provides the creator (usually referred as ‘author’) of any literary or artistic work with exclusive rights on the use and distribution of the work for a given period within the scope of the current laws in a country. In relation to musical works, during this given period, a consumer shall only be allowed to listen to the work: he/she shall not be allowed to copy or reproduce it, share it with others, or perform it publicly. Neither shall the consumer attempt a creative activity completely or partially based on the work. This condition is mostly valid even for the person who composed the musical piece. For example, Paul McCartney is obliged to make payments to the Sony/ATV Music Publishing company in order to be able to perform the songs he composed when he was a member of the Beatles, for each and every concert. This is because these rights (to produce copies or reproductions of the work and to sell those copies, to perform the work publicly, to create derivative works, and such) are completely or partially transferred to publishers in return for considerably lower royalties. The reason for this is that a musical work should pass through several stages until it meets with its audience: being recorded, being turned into a tangible product, reproduction, and regional, national or global distribution. We should also mention promotional activities and advertising. Until the 21st century, it has not been possible for authors to carry out these stages on their own. The contemporary technology, however, has created a new economic and cultural situation: it has enabled authors to easily record, reproduce and distribute their own works; and moreover provided many people with the opportunity to express themselves, engaging in creative activities and producing derivative works, based on copyrighted works. The current concept of copyright has, therefore, become outdated and incompatible with the economic and cultural situation of today.
Social and economic circumstances of each era render certain concepts useful and require them to be used. That the techniques of mass production and distribution have become applicable to the field of music in the 20th century, and the technological and economic structure of the era, has provided the copyright regulations and current percept of copyright with a legitimate basis in a given historical period. But the main dynamics of the production and consumption of music have again changed in the 21st century by virtue of technological developments. While musicians began to create works in more comfortable and easier conditions, both the number of those who are interested in creative musical activities and the number of works increased. People create more works now and engage in many different creative activities based on previously copyrighted works. Moreover, they share and distribute these derivative works by their own means. This is also a precursor of a new economic model in society. The music industry had almost completely broken the bonds and relationships between the musical work and both its creator and consumer; but now, the Internet and new technologies are in a position to restore these relationships even more tightly.
This article aims to shed light on this paradigm shift. First, it examines the workings of the music industry throughout the 20th century and the challenge it has been facing since the late 20th century. This challenge is valid not only for the production and consumption of music but also for its sharing among consumers. Drawing on Raymond William’s definition of ‘culture’, the article argues that people’s music listening and sharing habits should be assessed considering the cultural context, so the new situation is ‘cultural’, and that the current laws are in contradiction with the actual cultural reality. And if history has taught us anything, it is that social attitudes always overcome laws in such conflict situations, and force them to change.
The new technological and cultural situation has not only changed the way the music is produced and consumed, but also blurred the dividing lines between the author and the consumer. In this context, the article suggests that the conceptualization of ‘creativity’ and ‘author’ must be questioned, and it lays emphasis on the ‘new creativity fields’ such as mix, remix, and sampling. It argues that the copyright laws hinder cultural production by declaring a large part of these creative activities ‘illegal’. After indicating the unsustainability of the current situation through various examples, the article addresses Creative Commons, one of the most promising solutions to the problem, which is based on the principle that all cultural works are interconnected and they can, therefore, not be treated and marketed as individual/independent products. Even in its most restricted usage, Creative Commons, which has six main license types, allows non-commercial, individual, and cultural use and sharing of the licensed work. Its license that provides the most broad usage, on the other hand, grants that the licensed work can be shared, copied, edited, remixed, used for creating derivative works, and even for commercial purposes. Many features of this open licensing system, that is compatible with the digital age in which we are living, make it one of the best alternatives to the current concept of copyright.
In conclusion, the novelties that 21st century has brought along have profoundly influenced our daily life, changed our behavior patterns and, beyond that, radically transformed our perception of ‘community’. Today, people from all over the world can easily communicate with each other, and millions of people lead a new understanding of ‘society’ by creating new communities in virtual networks. With the extensive sharing practices on the Internet, individuals have the opportunity to access each and every cultural product without time and place restrictions, use them, add on, develop and transform them, and create derivative works from them. The technologies that created this transformation and caused new ways of social behavior, thinking and acting to emerge, have irreversibly penetrated into our life within the last decade. As a result of this, there have been considerable changes both in the workings of the music industry and its sources of income, and it is thought that this tendency will continue even faster in the years to come. However, those who have dominated the industry throughout the 20th century could not accommodate themselves to this new situation. They still try to keep the old paradigm prevail by using the copyright laws and regulations which do not respond to actual needs and conflict with the ongoing paradigm shift. In light of the above considerations, this article emphasizes that it became an urgent need that the copyright laws should be rearranged in accordance with the current cultural context that characterizes the era.
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This study examines the effect of technological developments on production, distribution, consumption and sharing patterns of musical products and, more particularly, the transformative impact of Internet technology on the concept and practice of copyright. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze aforesaid transformative impact which has already become an actual problem, and to provide a broad perspective about the subject matter. Data and information for this study were collected through literature review and interviews, and these data and information were interpreted. The First Chapter of this study explains the notions of property and intellectual property. The Second Chapter, examining the historical development of the concept of copyright in detail, emphasises the motives of the birth and the continuous exposure to formal alterations of this concept. Chapter Three addresses the relationship between the music industry and the technologies emerged in the last century, and illustrates the current tension situation between the music industry and various practices that the Internet technology brought to human life. The reflection of this situation on law and politics is also examined in detail. Proposing to interpret all of these evolvements as a paradigm shift, the Fourth and final chapter makes an effort to explain, in socio-cultural and socio-economic contexts, that the concept of copyright has been going through an actual transformation not only formally, but also substantially.
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This study relies upon the hypothesis that cultures and traditions are never “pure” and “genuine”, and their “creation” is based on processes like cultural exchange, reconciliation, acquisition, adaptation, and hybridization. In line with this assumption, a culture or a tradition can only form by dialog, and they develop by interacting with regional and international milieu. In addition, each tradition gets invented and reinvented afterwards in concert with certain social needs. This creation process sometimes bears upon manners that can be called relatively “natural”, while it also takes deliberate stabs at syncretism from time to time. This paper, investigating the case of Kırıka which describe themselves as a band performing “Ottoman urban music” but use pop music instruments at the same time and modernize such "imagined” traditional music by doing so, attempts to give an analytical insight for the topic based on the concepts of revival, recreation and invention of tradition, and develops a critical approach towards the assumptions employed while fabricating the tradition.
Bu çalışma Türkiye’de 2009 Nisan ayı itibariyle yayın hayatını sürdüren müzik dergilerinin müziksel söylemi üzerine inşa edilmeye çalışılan bir popüler müzik incelemesidir. Çalışmada öncelikle Pierre Bourdieu’nün “saha” (field), “kültürel üretim” (cultural production) ve “kültür aracıları” (cultural intermediaries) kavramları ve John Fiske’nin “yayıncılık kodları”yla ilgili kategorizasyonunun yardımıyla Türkiye popüler müzik dergiciliği özelinde bir “kültürel üretim sahası” şeması oluşturulmaya çalışılır. Ardından Ayhan Erol’un “otantisite” kavramına getirdiği açılımdan faydalanılarak bu dergilerde kültür aracıları olarak iş gören yazarların “yazar otantisitesi” bağlamındaki otantisite anlayışları incelenir. Son olarak ise yazar otantisitesi anlayışları ile içinde iş görülen kültürel üretim sahaları ve kullanılan yayıncılık kodları arasındaki bağlantılar üzerinde durulur.