According to Kirby Ferguson, a remix is “any piece of art that contains a recognizable reference to another work – a quote from a lyric, a borrowed riff, a filmic homage.” Using this definition, almost everything can be considered a remix. In his TED talk, he show how Bob Dylan can be considered the ultimate remixer because of the melodic and lyrical similarities between several of his songs and earlier traditional folk songs. It has been estimated that two thirds of the melodies he used in his early songs were "borrowed."
To Kirby, remixing consists of borrowing, transforming, and combining. Copyright and patent laws in America and around the world do not acknowledge that we build on the work of others. Instead, they focus on the notion of “property.” Kirby cites prominent figures we view as innovative to support his claims that everything is a remix. American car manufacturer Henry Ford once said, “I invented nothing new. I simply assembled the discoveries of other men behind whom were centuries of work.”
On this idea, Kirby adds, “The idea of ‘Everything is a Remix’ might sound like common sense until you’re the one getting remixed.” In 1996, Steve Jobs happily admitted that Apple stole several great ideas that were instrumental in its success. His view on this changed in 2010 when he claimed that he was going to "destroy" Android because it was a stolen product.
Watch the full TED talk here: