All That Is Not Given Is Lost: Irish Traditional Music, Copyright, and Common Property

Abstract

"The aim of this paper is twofold. Firstly, I feel it necessary to clarify the nature of the social relationships that are inextricably bound up with Irish Traditional musical practice. To do this I shall address issues of gift and commodity, ultimately concluding that grass-roots Irish traditional music transmission rests upon a system of nonreciprocal sharing. And secondly, I believe that it is crucial that we clarify the power relations and the dynamic processes that frame those social relationships. To do this I shall use certain aspects of Common Property Theory, still a very young field, with a view to highlighting the actors and signposting directions. As Michael Goldman has written, 'The common--a material and symbolic reality, always changing, never purely local or global, traditional or modern, and always reflecting the vibrant colours of its ecological, political, cultural, scientific and social character--is not at all disappearing into the dustbin of history. To the contrary, we find that the commons are increasingly becoming a site for robust and tangible struggles..."

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