Nothing New on the Radio

     Music has always mirrored the time period it was created in, but lately it seems that pop music is stuck on repeat. If you scroll through today's hits you might notice how many of the "new" songs sound very familiar. In the past decade, popular music has become very reliant on remakes and covers. One trend in music right now is for current popular artists to remake the music of past top artists. Instead of creating new songs and ideas, many singers are remaking songs that already exist. These new versions of older songs bring up questions of originality and ownership. Who benefits the most from these remakes? 

    A recent example of this is the remake of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" by Luke Combs. Combs stayed very true to the original version of this song. He even referred to himself as a woman, keeping the original lyrics. This sparked many conversations and concerns. "Fast Car" was written and performed by Tracy Chapman, a queer black woman, who shared her emotions in this song. Even though Combs introduced this song to a new audience, it still brings up debates about race, gender, profit, and ownership of creative works. The remake became very popular showing how reviving older songs can create new appreciation and inaccurate recognition. This example shows the fine line between revival of old songs and exploitation of other artists. 

    On the other hand, Taylor Swift's decision to re-record her own albums highlights a different perspective of the remake trend. Swift's re-recordings were driven by ownership rather than nostalgia. By releasing "Taylor's Version," of her albums, Swift made remaking music an act of taking back stolen property when her record label was bought out. These re-recordings challenged traditional roles between artists and record labels and gave Swift financial and creative power. However, the success of these remakes may normalize covers instead of innovation in the music industry 

    Adorno's critique of popular music feels very relevant in today's world of constant remakes and covers. Familiar sounds being prioritized over innovation supports his claim that popular music pushes for consumption over creativity. Listeners are being trained to want to recognize music rather than examine or think critically about new music. After taking a look at several popular covers, I'm left wondering at what point does remaking music shift from honoring other artists to exploiting their lived experiences?