Think about it. I can guarantee that at least once in your life you have plagiarized or thought about plagiarizing. How come people these days are fine with copy and pasting someone else's words but when it comes to music, you can't take a drumbeat without a huge lawsuit ensuing. I feel that the law is very inconsistent. I think stealing, whether it be someone's property or someone's words, should be treated the same. I know in some college's, plagiarism is dealt with immediate expulsion, but it's not the same everywhere. The same with sampling. Sampling is when one artist takes part of another artists work and uses it in their song. It can range anywhere from a 3 sec drum beat to the chorus of a very popular song. But if not cited correctly, the artists can easily get themselves into a huge, career-ending, lawsuit. MC Hammer samples Rick James' "Super Freak" in his song "U Can't Touch This." When you listen to either song, it is clear that one is based off of the other. If MC Hammer hadn't have cited his sample, he would easily get caught and prosecuted.
This is "Super Freak" by Rick James. Listen to both songs. It is clear that "U Can't Touch This" uses the beat from "Super Freak."
This is "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer.
Now think back to your high school paper, where you were short on time and it was easier to just copy and paste. When you think about it in the context of music, you wouldn't dare copy and paste. So why do it for school?
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