SSP Forum: Eleanor Selfridge-Field on Musical Similarity
The
Symbolic Systems Forum
presents
Musical Similarity in Copyright and Cognition
Eleanor Selfridge-Field
Music Department
Monday, October 19, 2020
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://stanford.zoom.us/j/99713091022?pwd=b0hna3VRUkFWWHl0TUEwcTRQYktwQT09
ABSTRACT:
Musical similarity is defined in many ways, all of them imperfect. Exactitude somehow defies the meaning of the word similarity—a likeness without precise replication. In practical use musical similarity is a frequent consideration in music-copyright infringements suits. Here we investigate reasons for the widening gap between legal understandings of musical similarity and findings in current research in music cognition. These dichotomies are pertinent: (1) The confrontation between commercial definitions of musical content and the intellectual ones that are foundational in analytical and philosophical enquiries; (2) the inherent conflict between the musical work as defined in sound and in a written score; and (3) the missed opportunity for meaningful dialogue between prosecutors of high-profile cases in music-infringement and proponents of cognitive approaches to similarity studies.