zlacker

I think we should all strive to meet the standards of “Weird” Al Yankovic. He set out to do something that was widely hated by a very powerful and litigious sector, and yet after a full career he is widely revered by both the public and the industry. He masterfully sidestepped any problems by adhering to the basic concept of consent while still getting what he wanted 99% of the time.

>>callal+(OP)
Did anyone say no to him other than Prince?

>>justin+6d
Paul McCartney

>>callal+(OP)
It worked for Weird Al because he's always had good intentions. If all he ever tried to do was scam people by overselling, fear mongering, saber rattling, and stealing whatever was in reach then it wouldn't have worked out for him. We'll see if OpenAI can last as long as Weird Al.

>>justin+6d
Coolio didn't say yes to Amish paradise but the record label that had the rights agreed to the deal without him (which certainly shows who's in charge in that industry eh?). Many years later, Coolio admitted that he was wrong about the whole thing though.

>>morkal+lh
Oh my. That’s disappointing, in the sense that I believe I’ve heard Al say that he always checks with the artist.

>>justin+po
If you take Weird Al's word for it, he was told Coolio had approved and only later found out it was the other way around:

"…two separate people from my label told me that they had personally talked to Coolio… and that he told them that he was okay with the whole parody idea…Halfway into production, my record label told me that Coolio’s management had a problem with the parody, even though Coolio personally was okay with it. My label told me… they would iron things out — so I proceeded with the recording and finished the album."

https://www.vulture.com/2011/12/gangstas-parodist-revisiting...

>>zamada+os
Thanks. Yeah, I don't think Weird Al would lie about something like that.

>>callal+(OP)
There was never an argument about whether what Weird Al was doing was legal or not. Parody has been 100% covered by fair use laws from day one, and getting permission was just the cherry on top. OpenAI exists on much murkier legal grounds.

>>apengw+ce
As I recall McCartney didn't like the idea of Live And Let Die being parodied as Chicken Pot Pie, since he's vegetarian. Funny thing is so's Al.