Digital Culture: Remixing in the 21st Century Let there be new light!

t was the kind of treatment usually given only to kings and queens: In 1995, Michael Jackson had producer David Morales flown to Los Angeles, put him up for three weeks in the city‘s best accommodations, and paid him valuable studio time. On top of that, Morales received an amount that he has never exactly quantified, but which some suspect to be just below six figures. Jackson got three remixes for his money, which he was able to put on his single “Scream” at the time. Money, Morales openly admitted in interviews, didn‘t matter at the time. [1] From today‘s perspective, these amounts and the effort associated with the project - including tight security checks - seem downright absurd. It‘s true that remixing is still part of day-to-day business in the club scene. But it has drastically lost importance as a source of income for producers. Nevertheless, the format is