Watermelon Theory

Today's playlist is a "soundscape" for 3 reasons 1) I've got a ton of new music on this playlist, so we are getting familiar with the soundscape of the msuic world flush with new releases. 2) These are tracks that I've had on repeat lately-- they've been my soundscape as I go about my day. 3) Many of these track's common theme is their adept ability to curate a sonic environment in their production. Enjoy today's soundscape list.

A smorgasborg of listening paired for you! Things I've been enjoying lately, rediscoveries, and new releases.

Today’s Watermelon Theory is live performances. I asked around for live performances my friends and family loved for inspiration. Live performances often entail new interpretations and additions to an already adored song. They are reimaginations of your favorite songs, in the rawest most exposed form. enjoy!

All through middle school and high school I was deeply invested in the genre of dystopian ya books, and of course by extension, their movie adaptations. There was a big pop of consumption and production of these types of stories throughout the 2010s in particular. Books like the Legend Series by Marie Lu, The Selection by Kiera Cass, Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi, Divergent by Veronica Roth, Scott Westerfields the Uglies, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, and perhaps most famously the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins dominated much of my reading and had a huge fan base. Whether or not these books were adapted to film didn’t dictate how they were tied to music. Fan playlists, edits, author song recommendations, and of course, movie soundtracks all helped translate the genre into music. So today, we are going to be listening to some of the music that scored the dystopian genre. This is not to say any of these songs were made for the genre or to intentionally fit into a category. They find new meaning when projected into the stories we are so fond of– that’s the main common thread between the tracks you’ll be hearing. So without further ado, let’s hear some 2010’s dystopian daydream songs.

Music, of course, inspires other musicians to make more music— this is the cycle of artistry. However, sometimes this inspiration and tendency to reference infringes on the copyright of the original work. Accusations of music copyright infringement abound when two songs seem a little too similar to be loosely influenced or altogether unrelated. Musicians can only own their music and lyrics; That is, they can own a vocal melody and melodic instrumental riffs, but not specific beats, chord progressions, or intervals as these are too ubiquitous. Nonetheless, musicians will protect what they own, especially when an infringing work is highly successful. To prove copyright infringement two things must be demonstrated: First, that the perpetrator had access to the original work and that they did not, come up with a similar melody or aspect independently. Second, that the works are indeed intrinsically similar. This playlist delves into some of these surprising accusations and considers whether the plaintiffs were successful at pursuing infringement settlements. Sources used for this show: "Analysis of Copyright Infringement," Berklee College of Music and GW Law and Columbia Law Music Copyright Infringement Resource.

Is Alt-Pop the new Romantic Comedy soundtrack standard?

Core tracks inspired by contemporary soul, r&b, and jazz for your morning! These tracks are often described as 'easy listening,' but they are much more than that. While their emotional spectrum is more narrow-- unlike a power ballad or a pop anthem-- they are thematically just as dramatic and deep. They’re 'easy listening' in the sense that they are subtle and honest.

As I get reacquainted in the studio, let's listen to a few of my favorite tracks from the summer.