Cancel Culture: in reruns
2019-12-12 01:35:48.453218+01 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
When "Finding Neverland" was released, I saw some discussion among party DJ circles about whether it was still possible to play Michael Jackson songs.
I've also heard the argument that as heinous as Spade Cooley's actions were, his kids are arguably the surviving victims, and since his estate went to them, that buying his music was actually a way to support the victims.
I've got a few Michael Jackson tunes in my roster for square dancing, and haven't played them since, but... really, I mean we all kinda knew, right? So how do we separate the art from the artist? As entertainers where do we draw the line?
Turns out "cancel culture" is a big ol' non-existent thing. Now that streaming revenue provides us a real-time view of what people listen to, major revelations about musicians committing heinous deeds leads to an immediate spike in people listening to their music.
I'm not sure what this proves, but it's a data point. And I'm not sure what to take from this, but it's a reminder to me to try to reprogram myself from "oh, celebrity I've never heard of did heinous thing, let me acquaint myself with their work".
Jezebel: These Musicians Were 'Canceled,' But People Kept Listening