Too Expensive? Do It the Right Way Anyway.

The story of a trailer, and massive theft

When I made the book trailer for my first novel, with uber-talented filmmaker Ben Ib, we originally wanted to use a Massive Attack track, Paradise Circus. It fit perfectly.

But we didn’t have the rights, and couldn’t afford to buy them. So we didn’t use it.

Instead, we paid a composer to create an original piece of music. Because that’s how art works: if you want to use someone else’s, you ask. You licence. You pay. You respect. You don’t steal.

Or at least that used to be the case. Not any more apparently.

The full story’s behind the paywall—how we made the trailer, what happened when we played by the rules, and why that feels almost quaint now.

You’ll also find the final cut, set to the track I paid a composer to write—because we couldn’t afford to steal.

If you’re tired of the way the internet strips artists bare and calls it “sharing,” come through the paywall. Watch. Rage a little. Or just enjoy something made the right way.