The Music Slut Editorial: Music and Ethics

In case you didn’t know, we here at The Music Slut are somewhat of activists. We protested in Edinburgh for drastic change at the G8 Conference, we don’t eat McDonalds, we don’t drink Coke, our coffee is Fair Trade, our food is organic and our money goes towards making poverty history. We believe everyone can make a difference and that if change doesn’t start with you, whom does it start with?

As much as I can, I try to extend this sense of social responsibility to all aspects of my life. This is something I believe very strongly in. Music is, obviously, also a large part of my life so lately, I’ve begun to ask myself: should I be leaving my ethics at the door when it comes to the music I listen to? In other words, should I stop listening to artists who take money from socially corrupt corporations, or perhaps stopping my financial support of them is enough?

One musical group where the question of ethics is particularly disturbing for me is The White Stripes. In case you didn’t know, Jack White wrote a song for a Coke commercial. I find the Coca-Cola corporation to be morally despicable. I refuse to support their products not only because of the murders in Colombia but also because of their marketing strategy. Advertisements convincing children that sugary, unnatural drinks will make your life better in a time when children’s diabetes and obesity has skyrocketed is simply irresponsible. These same advertisements are plastered all over countries where the average income is less than a dollar a day, where people need rice more than they need coke.

I like Jack White’s music. No, I LOVE Jack White’s music. I think he’s a brilliant singer and songwriter and I lamented hard when I didn’t get Raconteurs tickets. But if I buy his concert tickets and albums, then am I condoning something I am so vehemently against? Someone recently commented that perhaps Jack White gave all the money to charity. I can’t say for sure but, regrettably, all evidence points to no. The list of artists selling their music to mega-corporations is a long one however. Recently, M&M used an Iron and Wine song in an advert, Robbie Williams wrote a tune for Pepsi, Badly Drawn Boy sings in a Target commercial and then there’s My Morning Jacket, Papas Fritas’, Sting, James Blunt, Cat Power etc. etc. I wonder if Robbie Williams felt at all bad when he sang at Live8; Pepsi out sells Coke worldwide.

This debate was probably first raised to the public conscience with Moby and his Rover commercial in 1996. When Moby let his song ‘God moving over the face of the waters’ be used in the car commercial, many people labeled him a sell-out. This strong opponent of the auto industry took money from Rover and people called him a hypocrite for it. Moby had this to say in his defense:

"There's something perversely satisfying about taking money from a car company and giving it to organizations which work to protect the environment. I figured that they were going to make the commercial with or without my music, so why not let them use my music and in the process help out some worthwhile organizations?"

I understand the logic behind this statement, I don’t agree, but I understand. My problem is this, how much more money did Rover make because they used a Moby song at a time when he was really popular?

I guess I’m writing this because honestly, I don’t know the answer. I don’t know whether it is all right for me to buy the new Robbie Williams album or if I should have allowed myself to go see the Raconteurs- the decision for which came after 10 hours of debate by the way. I suppose the worry is this: if I compromise when it comes to music, what else will I be willing to compromise on?

I would like to make this perfectly clear before people go into overdrive about this. I do not think myself to be better than you because I believe in what I said. Everyone is allowed to their own opinions and may choose to live their life in any manner in which they see fit. And even if you eat at McDonalds, I'll still love you- I'll just wait quietly outside.