Pepper was such a highly sought-after spice that it made and broke the economies of several nations and city-states. Alexandria, Genoa, and Venice grew rich after taking on the role of Europe’s principal pepper merchants, bringing the spice over from Asia. However, after the Portuguese found a sea route to the source of the spice, their economies sank as Portugal took over the spice trade and replaced these city-states as the central trading centres for pepper. 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
