Welcome!

Welcome to EMichaelMusic.com, a place for the exchange of ideas on a multitude of subjects.  Because I am paying for this website and registered it, and you just discovered its existence, I’ll start.

By the way, the “I am paying for this website” is a variant of Spencer Tracy’s “I am paying for this broadcast,” from the film, “State Of The Union,” of 1948, and Ronald Reagan’s “I am paying for this microphone,” of 1980.)

Please watch this short excerpt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRI6iSrS1kc

QUESTIONS

  1. Is it OK for a songwriter or composer to copy music and/or lyrics from someone else?
  2. Do you have a favorite example of a songwriter/composer copying music and/or lyrics from someone else?
  3. Do you have a LEAST favorite (or hated) example of a songwriter/composer copying music and/or lyrics from someone else?

Let me make Question 1 even more specific – is it OK to copy someone else’s expression without asking for her/his/their permission?  Asking its permission?  (I write “its” because it could be that you are expected to ask a company or corporation for “its” permission.  Companies are not people, my friend.)

I will only wait another day or two before I chime in.  I welcome your input first.

 

9 Replies to “Welcome!”

  1. Jen Kirk – you are funny, but I don’t think we will have too many similarities. Also, I don’t think he is a musician.

    But please like me more : )

    Also, I really look forward to your take on what will transpire here. I’ll be hoping for diverse and original views on copyright and intellectual property. : )

  2. Thanks, Patrice. One of the things I’m doing now, at the outset, is inviting participation. I’ve always been interested in creating and composing. One of the things I’m soliciting opinions about is —- what does it mean to be “original?” How important is the notion of authorship? How indebted are we to the expression of our peers and those who came before us? And these questions get wilder once one introduces how different cultures answers these questions.

    I’m so glad you’re around the site!

    To be continued….

  3. Loving that you’re doing this website! I’m not surprised to see familiar faces already.

    No time to answer all three questions, but to briefly state, yes I believe it is okay to copy some of a previous author’s work. “Some” is the key word, as it always is in copyright infringement matters. But that’s not up to me; it lies in the hands of lawyers, judges, and juries.

    I like your third question: Do you have a LEAST favorite (or hated) example of a songwriter/composer copying music and/or lyrics from someone else?

    Being a huge fan of this first artist (Angie, who incidentally is a man) I used to get so angry when I’d hear the song I used to believe infringed upon Angie. The only similar parts that I can hear are the first two lines of the chorus “There is a time / For every seed” (Angie’s lyric) and “I’m more than a bird / I’m more than a plane.” But it is so similar that I was convinced they’d stolen it right out from under him. Then, I was further convinced when I heard him on stage sarcastically do a mash up of his own song with theirs at a small show in Huntsville one night.

    Now I’m not so sure that it’s substantial enough to matter, considering the rest of the two songs are not alike. Also there are probably a hundred other songs that Dr. Harrington can point out with an ascending chorus like that. Angie’s song itself may not be original. I’ll let you listen and decide. Sorry for the shotty recording of Angie’s song; before you try to find it on Spotify it’s not available.

    Created first:
    Angie Aparo’s largely unknown song “Seed”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5lUE_bI8zY

    A few years after:
    Five for Fighting’s hit “Superman (It’s not Easy)”
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRz4FY0ZcwI

    If I had to vote on a jury now, it’s probably not enough to be considered infringement but it personally bugs me because I like Angie’s song better! Haha. Not long after all this went down, Angie’s song “Cry” got cut by Faith Hill as a title track and made him quite wealthy so I’m sure he’s doing just fine. He’s since written songs for Tim McGraw and more for Faith.

  4. Hello Kate M Singleton:

    It’s great to hear from you and I’m thrilled that you have contributed a lot to my site with your post. Thank you for that!

    I decided that your thoughtful answer to my question deserved its own post. So, I will write a lot to you very soon. You’ll have your own post – my first real post of 2012, devoted to you!

    But before I do, does anyone want to weigh in? Does Five For Fighting’s “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” infringe Angie Aparo’s “Seed?” What do you think?

    I’d love to see some reactions from musicians and lovers of music. If you hate music, feel free to respond as well.

    Here are the songs:

    Created first:

    Angie Aparo’s largely unknown song “Seed”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5lUE_bI8zY

    A few years after:

    Five for Fighting’s hit “Superman (It’s not Easy)”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRz4FY0ZcwI

Leave a Reply to taylor Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *