Oh I agree it has happened, I just don’t believe that having it happen accidentally is a very big problem that musicians are sitting around worrying about, which is what @joshspankit claimed. This doesn’t happen very often, right? I’m ignoring sampling here, that’s copying on purpose, as you say, so far more likely to end in conflict.
Thanks for the example! I do wonder if Harrison would have had the same trouble today, those songs are pretty different despite the similarities. It’s not that surprising that among very simple three-chord diatonic major-key pop songs, a few would have a similar structure. The Harrison case might be just as much about opportunist money making as it is about copyright.
Is pop music devoid of melody these days? The term to me suggests Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Harry Styles, etc… I mean pop is (more or less) always vocals, which has melody (almost) by definition. I can’t think of much pop that can be summarized as just beats and sound effects… what artists are you thinking of?
I don't know if they are worrying about it as a whole, would need some sort of large study I guess. We do know that young people mostly don't worry about things like this, because they don't yet know they should. But probably there is still someone at a record company rejecting potentially costly pieces via software?
> What artists are you thinking of?
Radio stuff from mumble rap to Eilish. I'm sure there is some melody behind the vocals, right? At some point the musicians have to play something. But it is often ambient, obscured, and difficult to discern without repeated listens. Unlike earlier styles where the melody is central and you are hit over the head with it, Yaz or Van Halen come to mind.
Probably all the good sounding pop music chord sequences have been claimed at this point after almost a century of never-ending copyright. Though it is just a guess of mine, would be an interesting project if someone had the time and knowledge to map it out.
Thanks for the example! I do wonder if Harrison would have had the same trouble today, those songs are pretty different despite the similarities. It’s not that surprising that among very simple three-chord diatonic major-key pop songs, a few would have a similar structure. The Harrison case might be just as much about opportunist money making as it is about copyright.
Is pop music devoid of melody these days? The term to me suggests Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Harry Styles, etc… I mean pop is (more or less) always vocals, which has melody (almost) by definition. I can’t think of much pop that can be summarized as just beats and sound effects… what artists are you thinking of?