Welcome MUSC 355 students. This is your introduction to the case studies in unit three. I have chosen these case studies for several reasons. Some of the case studies have historical importance and they are presented in the Moser text, which is required reading for this course. Other case studies also have abundant materials on the Internet that amply explain the issues and provide musical materials for you to examine. The last category of case studies comes from recent events. I have included these to demonstrate how current the ethical issues in music can be. So let me make a few brief comments on these case studies.

Coldplay is the featured band at the 2016 Super Bowl 50. Their music has been highlighted in many different contexts. One of the most interesting controversies surrounds their musical hit “Viva la Vida.” I am using this example as an introduction to the case studies for several reasons. First there is important musical terminology that you will need to know throughout the rest of the course. I have given you an introductory lecture on a few musical terms. Immediately we will be applying some of those terms to the Coldplay and Satriani case study. I do not expect you to have musical background in this course, but in order to understand ethical issues surrounding music you will need to master some basic musical terms. I suggest you carefully study those musical terms and keep those definitions with your course notes.

The case study with George Harrison and The Chiffons set the precedence for “subconscious plagiarism.” Notice that this is important because it establishes that plagiarism can exist even without the intent of the author.

The case studies with 2 Live Crew and the following case study with the recently deceased David Bowie provide further examples of ethical issues in music. David Bowie died in 2016 but legacy of his music and legal cases continue. The more popular an artist, the more likely it is that their music will be imitated in some fashion.

Did you ever wonder why the song “Happy Birthday” is not sung in the familiar version when your birthday is celebrated at Applebee’s, Outback, or other restaurants? Well, this demonstrates the complexity of copyright law. Although the tune to “Happy Birthday” was composed many decades ago and by all rights should now be in the public domain, one company purchased the copyrights to a version of that melody. For many decades they claimed royalties over any performance of that song. You will be reading about the legal outcome that was decided in 2015.

The last two case studies provide some more contemporary issues and they underscore that musical plagiarism can take many forms. In the Lecrae vs. Katy Perry case study it is a musical figure something that we might term a “riff” that is copied. With Dr. Dre and the deep note, however, it is just a single note.

Please take careful notes on these case studies. Have these notes handy when you take the test. Remember that all tests in this course are “open book.” You may refer to notes, search the web, and look at the course web site while you take the test.

I hope that you enjoy this fascinating study of musical ethics in this unit.