Do It Together: Steve Albini on intellectual property

Do It Together is an independent project about DIY music based in Amsterdam, The Netherlads.

Steve Albini is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer, and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal engineer of Electrical Audio, a recording studio complex in Chicago.

Find out more about Steve Albini at

This Interview was filmed for the DIT documentary, initially the concept was to create a compilation of interviews about DIY music around the world to explain how DIY works nowadays and to give an insight for younger musicians that could perhaps help them to choose their own road, this movie played in almost every possible venue that would be interested in having it and took many forms, depending on the requirements of the event or venue.

but the idea was to also upload all of the interviews in full, thereby giving the option for everyone to see all of the great ideas and stories. Finally after many years we can put some time into re-editing all of the interviews to upload them separately, I hope you like it.

Currently we're filming livestreaming concerts at the independent venue called OCCII in Amsterdam, and other music videos & political interviews with a new project called Bad Vibes.

Alek Riquelme / Interview, Directing & Editing
Shawnecee Schneider / Camera
Steve Albini / Audio Recording
Daan Duurland / Audio Restoration

[tornadoalleystudios]

My producer was just like him. When I left my recording session he offered to store my masters, and I bought a reel and he sent me home with the masters as well. Charged a flat fee, was awesome, was on stage with a band himself and was really witty and funny.

[stockmanager]

this would be like me taking a movie like the godfather and then editing my name in over every person in the credits and then selling it lol

[everythingiseverything]

This shift was a big one, it hurt engineers like myself, because the rates got lower and lower and then unsustainable. The quality of recordings (performances) suffered, but everyone can make pretty good stuff, it's just not as good as a real studio recording.

[absoluteego]

I love albini. he makes some very reasonable points, his ideas were sucking me in, and then I was thinking- what's the alternative? what great idea is he going to introduce?... turns out it's deluxe vinyl editions hahaha.

[cpmorgan]

1:54 that lemonade stand anology his hilarious

[honkytears]

Watch what people do, not what they say. In our current system, there is nothing stopping anyone from offering their work for free, to be used however the world sees fit. Why didn't Albini offer his own music open source? Why did he instead copyright (with all rights reserved) his entire catalogue, for profit?

[TheRiverX]

Adapt or die...It's todays reality. Albini is a wise man.

[LentilsOverkill]

This is good advice as a matter of pragmatism and adaptation, but it misses the point that the industry adapts too in its quest to take everything for itself and cut artists short—intellectual property rights, though in need of reform, are a critical means of protecting musicians’ income. If a giant company is gonna use my song for their TV show, I deserve a cut, because of the insane resources it takes to actually make the music in the first place.

What Steve Albini ironically missed here despite his political inclinations is that the less ways artists have to make money, the more that people with wealth are privileged to make art and the more those without are disprivileged. One of the good things about the old system was that anybody could start a band and have a chance to be elevated if the right people hear them. Now you can get heard by anyone, but there’s nothing that allows you to continue to make your art. No income, no art.

[bennybongosbigolebonanza]

The purpose of intellectual property is to ensure artists and creators have the ambition to create and benefit society. Without this there’s no more making a living as an artist. I agree with his perspective in relation to the current state of the music industry, yet it’s absurd to say there’s no need for intellectual property laws. It’s fundamental to creative’s ambition to create. It’s like a natural law of society.

[joshviggiani]

Our species is savagely stunting its prosperity by not operating in a collaborative, abundance minded, positively reinforced etc... manner. The unfortunate old way of doing things was sufficient enough back then. Now there are different challenges and opportunities we face, so perhaps some innovation is overdue. Yes, I tend to talk in broader strokes than solely the topic at hand, hug me.

Acceptable leadership unites individuals. It doesn't divide sheep.

[cpmorgan]

Rock seriously lost one of its best advocates when Steve moved on to realistic guy who sees things in a cool way and is true to the artform heaven

[mikesgarage]

He'd be pissed if someone from Shellac lifted some of his compositional work without his permission, for profit and without ever crediting him. And guess what, the only way to 100% guarantee prevention this from occurring is to be extremely mindful of your personal intellectual property.

[squelch]

The camera work in this was annoying. Never in my life have I wondered about the details of Albini's hands.

[KMPLX]

Check out Steven Kinsella on intellectual property. He’s a patent attorney who’s against the idea (he gives some of the same sort of arguments).

[jcomm]

Need to follow the middle path, a reasonable level of protection that allows some reasonable use esp if attributed & definately not scaring the crap out of creators for tiny infractions!!

[kevindoran]

Long story short

Very few blacksmiths are horses.

[tranceporter]

Is the camera man trying to put this guy's hand under microscope ? .. what's he trying to find on his hands ?

[blackearwax]

You have to agree with most of what the man says, although I'd be interested to know how he would feel about intellectual property were, let's say, a corrupt politician using one of his songs or recordings as a rallying cry for idiots

Also, Steve, you got a bat in the cave there bruv

[tranceporter]

lol lemonade stand would be the way ? ... people can taste it and then try to copy it

[massapower]

Totally disagree Paesano. Intellectual property belongs to the artist and not others . How you expect to make money if others steal your product.

JACK WHITE is doing it right with his Record Plant 🤩👍🏻👍🏻

Although sharing is one thing, but stealing is another... Either way i admire ALBINI as a recording engineer 😁👍🏻