Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

bbc.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

251–260 of 363 posts

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#251

Post by sneak »

pests wrote: post #241
kmeisthax wrote: post #223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some states actually have laws specifically to prevent this. For example, if you work remote for a company based in NY, PA, CT, DE, AR, or NE; your income is taxable in that state regardless of where you live or work. This is known as a "convenience of the employer" test. In fact, before a certain SCOTUS ruling you couldn't even claim a refund on that tax for your residence state's tax return (and even after, that re…

In the case of Americans outside the US... You can write off foreign taxes paid up to a limit on the American side.

Yes, but not the income so taxed, beyond the foreign earned income exclusion, which is relatively low.

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#252

Post by dang »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #43

[flagged]

Please don't post cheap ideological flamebait to HN.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Btw the opposite side thinks that HN is dominated by your side (https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...).

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#253

Post by hammock »

sorokod wrote: post #247
rgifford wrote: post #175

A friend of mine decided to pursue music production around the same time I started in software engineering. We're both 20 somethings. We swap war stories now and then. I get to hear about how he's working with his mentor to do vocal production on a track getting pitched for Maroon 5, The Chainsmokers, etc. Sometimes the tracks take -- the artist likes them and decides to move forward. Usually they don't and it's a lo…

In what way are they "crazy talented" if they dont author the lyrics or the music? Is it meant cynically to describe the situation where the performer is just packaging for someone else's talant?

They kind of say: "look good, sound good."

Having worked in this industry myself, is it definitely a talent to have good stage presence, good presence in front of a videocamera, photogenic and modeling skills. Not to mention charisma when dealing with radio and TV interviews, fanbase, etc.

It's also a talent to sing well, to sing consistently, to be able to channel inflection and emotion on command in a studio or on a stage.

There is more to being a pop star than the songwriting.

(Note I'm saying all this while still holding huge respect and value for the songwriters and producers themselves. I'm a total music fan.)

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#254

Post by mywittyname »

sorokod wrote: post #247
rgifford wrote: post #175

A friend of mine decided to pursue music production around the same time I started in software engineering. We're both 20 somethings. We swap war stories now and then. I get to hear about how he's working with his mentor to do vocal production on a track getting pitched for Maroon 5, The Chainsmokers, etc. Sometimes the tracks take -- the artist likes them and decides to move forward. Usually they don't and it's a lo…

In what way are they "crazy talented" if they dont author the lyrics or the music? Is it meant cynically to describe the situation where the performer is just packaging for someone else's talant?

Being able to dance, sing, and play an instrument at the level expected by 10s of thousands of people, each paying hundreds of dollars per ticket is pretty damn talented. To be able to keep up that level of performance, basically every day, for almost a year, while sleeping in a bus and eating on road is crazy levels of talent.

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#255

Post by alpha_squared »

ljf wrote: post #245
kbenson wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Emigrate from the US and you'll still be expected to pay US taxes on foreign income. That's because you still have U.S. citizenship. You can give that up and not be taxed, as I understand it. Also, it looks like there are provisions to give you exclusions on your foreign income,if you have any.[1] That seems sane to me, if you live their the whole year and that location is your tax base, then you can exclude all th…

As a Brit, I can work wherever I can find work (and legally work) around the world, earn a fortune and not pay any tax in the UK, /and/ keep my citizenship. I only would pay tax to the UK on income I earn here (which in itself leads to all kinds of strange and dodgy scenarios in terms of people avoiding paying taxes here)

This is ultimately political and comes down to perspective and opinion. As a citizen, you benefit from many things of your home country regardless of whether or not you reside there. Such as, for example, your home country's ability to exert pressure on the government of where you reside when you're unjustly arrested/detained. There's also access to the consulate of your home country and all services you have access to from the resident country. All of that stuff is funded somehow and it can seem unfair that only those who live within the home country's borders fund those things while those who reside elsewhere get to take advantage of it all without paying anything into it.

For Americans, for better or worse, its very large stick (the military) affords its citizens all sorts of benefits while traveling/living abroad.

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#256

Post by khazhoux »

sorokod wrote: post #247
rgifford wrote: post #175

A friend of mine decided to pursue music production around the same time I started in software engineering. We're both 20 somethings. We swap war stories now and then. I get to hear about how he's working with his mentor to do vocal production on a track getting pitched for Maroon 5, The Chainsmokers, etc. Sometimes the tracks take -- the artist likes them and decides to move forward. Usually they don't and it's a lo…

In what way are they "crazy talented" if they dont author the lyrics or the music? Is it meant cynically to describe the situation where the performer is just packaging for someone else's talant?

Maybe singing, dancing, playing instruments, overall performing, or even producing?

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#257

Post by Varriount »

throwaway1777 wrote: post #217
Varriount wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps it's naive of me, but I can't help but look down on this kind of behavior. I know that tax money is rarely spent in the most efficient way possible, but (ideally) the point of taxes is that they go to benefit the general public. Moving just so one doesn't have to pay as much, after (presumably) living in the state for some time feels selfish and greedy.

Of course it’s greedy, but on the other hand wouldn’t you be crazy to not try to get out of paying millions in taxes?

No, because (again, ideally) those taxes are going to be used to benefit the common good.

Trying to get out of paying them would be like saying, "of course I should get help from everyone else for education, housing, infrastructure, etc., but goodness forbid I actually return the favor later on so that others get the same benefit!"

Anyway, it's not like such taxes take away so much of your earnings that you're left with a pittance. At some point you have to ask yourself, "is the amount of happiness I gain from keeping this amount of money worth more than the various things it will be spent on, and the benefit it will give to others?"

(I'm reminded of the Simpsons episode, "The Last of The Red Hat Mamas, where Mr Burns pledges to donate money to a children's hospital, but then uses it extend his own life instead - by 10 minutes[0])

It's a sign of the sad state of things that taxes are treated more like throwing money away, than being a resource used for the common good.

[0] https://youtu.be/-Icbia3fDuY?t=45

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#258

Post by khazhoux »

oh_sigh wrote: post #211
racl101 wrote: post #191

I always wondered why we reward vapid pop star hacks who can't do anything without a freaking team of people doing everything for them. Like Britney Spears for example, can't play instrument, can barely sing, can barely dance, needs a choreographer, can't write music nor lyrics. And I'm not talking about Britney Spears now, I'm talking in her prime. All she really brought to the table was her looks and ok singing abi…

Michael Jackson wasn't talented. He had a choreographer.

The 2009 MJ documentary shows he was supremely talented.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson%27s_This_Is_It

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#259

Post by anm89 »

Entering the modern commercial music industry to then complain about having to share credits is like getting a software developer job and be upset that you are expected to write code.

At the end of the day, the singer brings in 100x more value to the table because what ever genetic lottery they won combined with whatever they did to capitalize on that means millions of people with poor taste want to throw money at them for the illusion of them being a musician. The song writers are much more replacable then the "face" in this scheme regardless of where the talent lies.

Anyway point being, don't get into commercial music if you don't like it. There are plenty of ways to maintain artistic integrity as a trade off for money but these writers choose to sell out instead. So don't sell out and then whine about not being able to keep your integrity.

Re: Hit songwriters ask pop stars to stop taking credit for songs they didn't write

#260

Post by mettamage »

sorokod wrote: post #247
rgifford wrote: post #175

A friend of mine decided to pursue music production around the same time I started in software engineering. We're both 20 somethings. We swap war stories now and then. I get to hear about how he's working with his mentor to do vocal production on a track getting pitched for Maroon 5, The Chainsmokers, etc. Sometimes the tracks take -- the artist likes them and decides to move forward. Usually they don't and it's a lo…

In what way are they "crazy talented" if they dont author the lyrics or the music? Is it meant cynically to describe the situation where the performer is just packaging for someone else's talant?

I think it was meant in the way that performers need to be talented in singing, performance, charisma and dancing. Stuff like that. Singing well isn't easy, doing all of these things is way harder still.

Disclaimer: I have perfect pitch since I was a kid, can hold a note when singing, made a lot of music as a kid (guitar and electronic), had some singing lessons and yet I'm at best a fun karaoke singer to listen to when you're drunk.

Post reply on HN