Remix culture has come full circle

The pros are now remixing the amateurs' covers of their own songs.

Gotye’s stunt reminded me of an argument I first heard from the academic Karl Hagstrom Miller: In the 21st century, we have circumnavigated back to the late 19th, when pop was a participatory sport, and the amateur was the star. As in 1890, the real musical action these days is taking place at home. And the laptop camera is the new parlor room piano.

From Slate.