There’s no possible way to cover the wide range of issues that this problem spans, from the general notion of cultural appropriation as a whole to the intricacies of copyright law and reparations for the violation of intellectual property ownership. Paying reparations to a group who had their possessions – intangible as they may be – stolen is an important step towards creating a more accepting, inclusive, and just musical culture free from the burden of controversy over who specifically is paid royalties. As one author writes, “The entertainment industry is arguably the prime beneficiary of special interest intellectual property legislation that seeks compensation for even trivial uses of intellectual property.”(7) While that certainly is a loaded sentence full of legal jargon, but the fact of the matter is clear – that those in the industry don’t typically take into account what is “right” vs. “wrong;” what is “fair” or “unfair” to a particular group of people. They have an understanding of the age-old mantra that “no publicity is bad publicity,” and that the rise of controversy will likely have little impact on their profits. However, with advocacy groups taking the stage in recent years and calling out artists from the aforementioned Elvis to Iggy Azalea, there are building movements vouching for the diminishment of cultural appropriation in all forms of art and a greater understanding, today more than ever, of shedding light on from where, whom, and why the music came to be and what implications it has through the eras it endures.
Footnotes
(7) Greene, K.J. “‘Copynorms,’ Black Cultural Production, and the Debate Over African-American Reparations.” Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal 25, no. 3 (January 29, 2008): 1217. Accessed December 12, 2018. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=3b21be67-00fc-45cb-a05f-d3dec57b019a%40sdc-v-sessmgr02.