Music

In a recent feature article for Pitchfork, an online music magazine, contributor Steve Marsh follows Justin Vernon, the lead singer and founder of the band Bon Iver, who spent a week in Berlin alongside his band and 85 other artists. Their week-long sojourn in Berlin was framed around creating a series of collaborations that would … Continue reading "Bon Iver and the Economics of Art for Art’s Sake"

European classical music's complicated relationship with other cultures raises questions of creativity and appropriation.

Bob Dylan's Nobel award opens up questions of music as literature, as well as how the Nobel committee chooses its honorees.

How should classical musicians balance accessibility with preserving the traditions of their craft?

Couching racial differences in understanding alone does little to foster common ground. Here's how hip-hop could change that.

Are politicians wrong to appropriate music for their own purposes? Your answer probably depends on how you read literature.

Facebook is a place used for self-expression; many people use it to update others about their lives or post about how they’re feeling. Anthony Elonis, a man from Pennslyvania, used Facebook to rant about his divorce. However, Elonis was not just posting about his ex-wife and the divorce, but posting violent messages such as “there’s one … Continue reading "Rap on Facebook and the Supreme Court"

Come out to Prindle on Monday, October 13 at 5:30 PM for a dinner and discussion about the ethics of cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation occurs when someone from one culture takes or uses something from another culture. What is taken can be a physical artifact, such as when an archaeologist takes an ancient relic and … Continue reading "Cultural Appropriation Dinner & Discussion on Oct.13"

This article offers an interesting take on pirating music online. It seems that users who pirate music are adhering to certain norms, and they think that downloading music in many circumstances is wrong. The basic claim is that people don’t respond to anti-piracy considerations. They do, however, respond to considerations that point out that the music is easily available online already. … Continue reading "Why Do People Pirate Music?"

Check out this great lecture on The Ethics of Jazz