Edit: The nice folks at Webfeed Central are hosting the MP3s for American Edit here, on their website. Viva Internet freedom. This is a great piece of production work, I really recommend checking it out. (1/1/06)
"Dean Gray" is two talented DJs (Party Ben and Team9) who created an incredible mashup "album" (this album was released only as MP3s over the internet for non-commercial use) and was smacked down by Warner Records 10 days later, for copy-right infringement.
Please note, if you came to this site via a search engine Dorkland! is not hosting the American Edit MP3s, but you can find a link to the AmericanEdit.org site to direct you to the downloads. I've got a copy of American Edit that I burned to CD this past week, and I have to say that it is one of the most brilliant mashups that I have come across in quiet a while.
Today is Dean Gray Tuesday, and to protest the actions of Warner Records a number of websites around the world are hosting the files until midnight tonight. Check them out for yourself. Of particular interest to followers of Dorkland would be the song "Dr. Who on Holiday." Here is the press release about today:
"About Dean Gray Tuesday
"Only 10 days after its release, the mash-up album American Edit, which pays tribute to the acclaimed Green Day album American Idiot through some of the best mash-up productions of 2005, was shut down reportedly after received a cease & desist order from Green Day's label, Warner records, despite the fact that it was released as an internet only release with no commercial gain for the team of mash-up artists involved. In fact, the only possible profit to be made from the release was a plea from the creators of the album (known only by the shared alias Dean Gray) for fans who enjoyed the creation to donate to one of three possible charities that Green Day have been known to support. Furthermore, the mash-up versions were such fantastic productions that they were truly a departure from the standard Green Day performances and would not compete for consumptive dollars.
"We hope to mobilize the online Mash-Up community by organizing a simple one-day organized event. Participants would be asked to post the American Edit album online for 24 hours only starting on Tuesday, December 13, at 12:00AM. Doing so is not intended to be a mass organization of music piracy but, rather, one single display of the consumptive power of the mash-up and home remix community in the hopes of encouraging the labels, publishers and artists who are curious about the mash-up community to consider giving the high quality productions of 'illegitimate' music a legitimate consideration as a promotional avenue for all music.
"We also hope to encourage club DJs and radio DJs to air portions of the American Edit release on 'Gray' Tuesday and refer to this site by reporting their planned airplay in advance."
Check out the AmericanEdit.org site for the sites who are hosting the album, as well as more information about Dean Gray Tuesday and the American Edit phenomenon.
