As I was browsing through the blog posts and comments, a particular comment made by KristiBerry recently especially caught my attention. In response to Mje277′s “So, “California Girls” has been Ripped-off by Cascada” post, Kristi pointed out how Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” and Katy Perry’s “California Gurls” are basically the same song, but it is because they are written by the same songwriter, Dr. Luke. I found this very interesting since the topic of songs “knocking-off” other songs has been brought up so many times.
Many of today’s top hits have similar features. Videos trying to prove how songs “X”, “Y”, and “Z” are all “the same song” flood the internet as listeners accuse specific artists of “stealing” from other artists. Though the audience may be correct in identifying the suspiciously similar beats and melodies certain songs may share, there may be more to the songs than meets the ear. Specific producers and songwriters such as Dr. Luke dominate the pop charts with their work, but it’s artists like Ke$ha, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, and Kelly Clarkson that we usually associate the songs and their ownership with.
Jacob Ganz and Maura Johnston’s conversation about songwriter and producer Dr. Luke and his work (http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2010/09/20/129992395/the-secret-of-dr-luke-s-success-might-stay-a-secret-forever) shows how he has a certain style to the songs he writes for various artists. As stated by Jacob Ganz, “…so many of his songs are about exactly the same thing. He’s writing dance club pop, and most of the songs fit in one of two molds”, showing how Dr. Luke’s music contain similar content lyrically as they address the same topics. In addition to reused subject matter, Dr. Luke’s songs also have a distinct style that make his songs identifiable, as seen through Jacob Ganz reference to Sasha Frere-Jones Tumblr post, saying
“Handy steam-powered app to tell the difference between Dr. Luke tracks:
Killer chorus? Wrote song with Max Martin.
Familiar enough to skirt copyright infringement and low on melody? Did not write song with Max Martin.”
and Maura Johnston’s comment, “That song is a crazy collision. It sounds good at the gym. All of Dr. Luke’s songs sound good at the gym”. Therefore, is the artist of song “X” really “ripping-off” the artist of song “Y” when there was a songwriter/producer who served as the common denominator by helping out and providing some creative input during the process of making both songs “X” and “Y”?
Creating music is very much of a collaborative process, and numerous artists work together in producing just one song. Sometimes, those who work together have certain attributes and aesthetics to their work that may influence others or be more noticeable in the final product. Many people today complain about songs on the radio sounding the same and accuse artists of copying other artists, arguing over who is the true originator, when in fact the only copying that is being done is the recycling of the collaborating producer’s or songwriter’s signature sound.
