Forbes.com has the prestige that comes from being the online arm of a century-old established brand; it has become a magnet for grifters because of this. After they opened up their website to contributors, outsiders have started charging businesses thousands of dollars for the honour of being mentioned in a Forbes article. The number of small business owners on Quora asking about the ethics of Forbes writers demanding them to pay up and the various answers confirming this behaviour, paints a picture of the extent of this problem. 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