In case you haven’t discovered it yet, Warren Cohen started up a nice blog about music docs, Docs That Rock. Since his day job is over at VH1’s Rock Docs, he is a great person to keep us informed on the music doc scene. He has hit the nail on the head as to why fair use is important for telling our own history. In this case, regarding a new film about Hendrix, Joplin and Morrison:

From first hand experience, the estates of both Hendrix and the Doors are some of the trickiest folks to work with in regards to music licensing. Stratospheric licensing fees are almost the secondary problem behind the strict editorial control both estates demand. This enforced hagiography, of course, serves no one: history, filmmakers, or even fans. Read the post>>

The doc is being produced in Canada where there is a current battle over copyright going on. From Copyright for Canadians about the recently re-written copyright bill:

After months of hesitation, Industry Minister Jim Prentice has finally revealed his re-write of Canada’s rules of copyright, Bill C-61. As expected, the bill contains major concessions to the American entertainment industry. Prentice’s bill forbids Canadians from engaging in ordinary practices such as ripping DVDs onto video iPods, unlocking digital phones for use with a competitor’s services, and paves the road for US-style consumer lawsuits for file-sharing. Tell your MP to represent you in the forthcoming copyright debate, and stop Prentice from steamrolling a bill that’s worse than America’s DMCA through Parliament without listening to Canadian voices.

It has been tried and success has been achieved in utilizing fair use for the kind of project that Cohen mentions, but it is only after years of work and high profile filmmakers and lawyers taking a stand using the Documentary Filmmakers’ Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use. It will be interesting to see if the Canadians now also will have to delve into this area.