Art has spurred people to action through shock and subversion throughout history, stoking the revolutionary fire in people’s hearts. Napoleon hailed the Marriage of Figaro for starting the French Revolution, while the author Harriet Beecher Stowe is said to have sparked the Civil War. Plato thought of art as dangerous to nation-states because of its subversive power and, in The Republic, expressed that he would ban entire genres of art if he were to create his ideal state. Read full article here
Oddities
Why Do Modern Pop Songs Have So Many Credited Writers?
The music industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades – with the number of songwriters credited on number one hits more than doubling. This is due to a combination of factors, including money, the computer and a changing definition of what songwriting is. For example, if The Beatles’ classic “I Feel Fine” was released today, it would likely have four writers credited instead of two, due to the influence of producers, samples and interpolations. With the rise of lawsuits, artists now preemptively add songwriter credits to their songs, even if the similarities between their song and the source material are coincidental. It all goes to show that the music industry is becoming more complex and competitive. Read full article here
Merv
March 29, 2023
