On the other hand, it is hard to imagine that anyone would get a hold of this CD without having heard the story behind it first. While its 12 tracks may represent an attempt to realize the latent potential in Beck's music, their primary purpose is to make a point. You're supposed to realize how rotten it is that only an artist with major-label backing like Beck can use recognizable samples without getting his ass taken to court. It's an appealing vision. The distribution of resources within the music industry is unjust.
Record companies make a lot more money than the people who make records do.
Most recording artists are poorly paid. And the people who make the CDs, recording equipment and other objects that are necessary to physically make records are paid even worse. From this perspective, it's understandable that the artists on Deconstructing Beck would target Beck for abuse. For all that, their vision of a copyright-free world also betrays a major blindspot. Regardless of how screwed-up the music industry is, the fact that recognizable samples must be paid for is intended to compensate artists for the recycling of their work.