GRAVE-ROBBING MUSIC: THE MOST DISMISSED GENRE

Makenna Brice

For more than 80 years, posthumous music has been around, it is just now becoming more of a hot topic as more artists die. Some may say that the release of a posthumous album or song is exciting or amazing, others may say that it is disgusting, terrible, or even evil. For the fact that there are opposing sides on posthumous music release, it has become a controversy with varying opinions. Those who are supporting of releasing an artist’s posthumous music may feel it is respectful and a tribute to their idol, friend, family, or significant other. Those against it may think that it is wrong and an invasion of one’s privacy. They may also think it is unethical. For this, posthumous music should not be released because it is greedy, disrespectful, inconsiderate, and defaming to the artist of the music.

Most popular artists have no say in whether or not they want their leftover music to be released, making posthumous music a non-consensual agreement. One artist, for example, had left with no will, leaving a mess of his estate, more specifically, his music; this artist was Prince. Before the death of Prince, Prince had made something very clear: that “... accompanying a deceased musician’s recording was ‘the most demonic thing imaginable’” (Heller). Once artists have died, they have no control, no way to say anything, no way to stand up for themselves, they’re vulnerable. Prince believed nothing like this would happen. One day though, his half sisters found his unreleased music and videos in a Paisley Park basement vault, which they had come to discover upon finding mold and water damage, at the time, potential risk to California wildfires

(Heller). If someone had a vault of personal things, or more so, if an artist had a vault of their music, one would think to be considerate and treat whatever in the vault delicate, but again this is not the case. There is a door and a lock as there are curtains and blinds for a reason, to cover, to keep private.

Some things are better left alone, as it can tarnish or stain something; it is best to leave these artists current discography alone as it can taint their image. Here is something to help put this in perspective: say there is a wall, and someone has a few pictures hanging, maybe a piece of art, or bookshelves. Say their friend has an idea that they think would look really cool by rearranging and maybe adding or getting rid of stuff, but the owner of the wall doesn’t like the idea, it isn’t the same as what they have, and it doesn’t match. In an article from The Observer (London, England), Dorian Lynskey and Peter Robinson write:

“Winehouse’s 2011 collection Lioness: Hidden Treasures was pieced together by her regular collaborators with the best of intentions but it just left me feeling depressed because it highlighted how little music she created in her last five years. A posthumous collection of bits and pieces is like a chalk outline after a dead body’s been taken to the morgue: it draws your attention to what’s missing.” If anyone else were to do it, it would feel wrong, incomplete, and depressing. Amy Winehouse isn’t around to perform these posthumous songs and if she were around she wouldn’t be performing these specific songs composed by someone that isn’t her, they wouldn’t sound like they do, just as any posthumous album/song. Lynskey and Robinson also express they were impressed

by David Joseph, CEO

of Universal

Music

UK, for destroying Amy Winehouse’s “sketchy demos” that would’ve been in her third album so not one of his successors could make a posthumous album out of them. People are so hungry for money and music that someone has to completely destroy an artist’s music for others not to go and “Frankenstein” a dead artist’s leftover music, as Lynskey and Robinson put it. It is better letting an artist’s memory live on for what music they made and performed themselves while still being alive, and just appreciate all they’ve done.

This control that the families and labels have does not benefit the artist or anything but themselves. No matter how posthumous music is viewed, its money does not go directly to the artist, the original creator, it goes to their families and labels. Rapper XXXTentacion found a snippet of an incomplete song by Lil Peep and ILoveMakonnen, fan uploaded, that X sampled and made into a song after Peep died, despite Peep not wanting to work with the rapper.

XXXTentacion died too, 7 months later in June of 2018 before he was able to finish and release the sampled song, however, XXXTentacion’s mother talked to Lil Peep’s management and was able to finish and release the song, as X wanted to release it as soon as possible (Boyd). There are two things happening here and they are different, but very well must be the same: posthumous music. Although X didn’t exactly poke through Lil Peep’s unreleased music, rather stumbled upon it, he still used his unreleased and unofficial music, and also collaborated with him posthumously despite not wanting to. Someone wouldn’t go and copy into their song another artist’s music or steal their work alive, but it’s happening as someone is not alive. When XXXTentacion died and his mother finished and released X and Peep’s song she may as well have been doing the same thing as her son, as they both touched posthumous music and had the same intent of releasing it. Another concern was whether or not ILoveMakonnen should be able to do what he wants with his own song that peep had a part in (Boyd). Lil Peep had a right to agree and disagree with things in a song just as any other artist, but this situation falls into the category of whether or not posthumous music is acceptable. In an article from the MEIEA Journal, Richard T. Gretz and Stan Renard explain how sales tremendously increase when an artist dies, especially unexpectedly, looking at a study of over a two year period of time researchers look at an artist’s sales; they concluded that sales continue to increase through a long period of time. Families and labels can benefit for years off of an artist’s death from their music made when they were alive and their posthumous music.

When someone shares something personal with you it is not your place to share with others, just as it is not anyone’s place to share an artist’s unreleased music. Music is very personal to artists as they may usually tell their story or feelings of something, almost like a diary. Someone may have things they are not ready to share, or it’s something special they want for themselves, that others have to wait on or just be okay with not knowing. Music when someone dies is like picking through what is left from someone’s brain in what they had to say. After Roland Barthe died, French essayist, he left behind his Bereavement Diary, or Journal de deuil, published by his half brother, including an excerpt of him being reminded of his mother when going to the bakery by something a female employee said, feeling grief and later weeping in his apartment (Flood). Music and literary works may be related in the way of their words and emotions and Barthe’s diary was meant to be private, not to be shared with the world, Barthe could not have this to himself. “... his friend and former editor, the philosopher François Wahl, told Le Monde ‘would have positively revolted [Barthes] in so far as it violates his privacy,’”(Flood). This is something that gives someone peace and privacy and they have taken that away and can really put into perspective how posthumous music is on the artist’s end.

Showing someone’s own diary, something you can find from teen movies where the mean girl in high school gets ahold of the main character’s diary and shows it to the whole school during lunch. Looking at another example, Mark Twain, an American writer, wanted all of his “literary remains” burned, but of course, ninety-nine years after his death, a collection of essays and short stories of his were published, against his wishes (Flood). Of course, the only way to get rid of something in Twain’s time was to burn it, compared to now where half, if not more than half, of an artist’s or author’s work is digital. Mark Twain very specifically asked after he died for his work to be destroyed, going to show it doesn’t matter who an artist or writer is or their wishes, people will try to get anything out of them.

If you wanted something so badly, you would probably go out and get it, and an artist would have already released their music if they wanted to. In an article for UWIRE Text by Ella Boyd, there is concern of artistic integrity at the plan of Columbia Records releasing a posthumous album of Lil Peep’s music, including the posthumous song released by XXXTentacion’s mother and Lil Peep’s management. Artistic integrity including if it would match his vision and desires in music. Similar to the wall example, if you have a painter, where half of their painting is complete and the other half is not, then no one can finish that missing half of details and personal touches if someone is not the original artist, they cannot put their name on it, it can’t be the same as the artist’s work. Just as it’s not the same if it’s not on an artist’s own terms. Speaking of an artist’s own terms, and coming back to Prince, Prince was very particular, he had strong opinions on things, specifically pertaining his music, wanting to solely be in control of it. His particularity in his music is seen when he halted his 1987 album “The Black Album” just a week before its planned release; he called it “evil” (Heller). He may work and focus on his music everyday, but this goes to show Prince would release his unreleased music if he really wanted to, he would make it happen. Additionally, if Prince felt this strongly about his music, one would think that his family and label would care, but no, this is not the case. It does not matter how famous an artist is, it will still continue to happen.

Posthumous music will still be released, but it should not be let off the hook and dismissed, as artists are not treated fairly and given respect from this once they pass. What is done against these artists is violating, unethical, and disrespectful. Music is a gift, these artists have shared a part of themselves at their own will and freedom to give their music, no one gifts their gift to everyone as they did. There may be more talk that has come over the years but still. There is not enough talk on this subject or anything being shared, as it is lightly brushed over when mentioned. Talking about an issue is one of the best things to do to bring more knowledge and recognition, as any issue, but talking is only the first step to helping.

Works Cited

Boyd, Ella. “Does death equal permission? New release from Lil Peep with XXXTentacion feature sheds light on questionable ethics” UWIRE Text, 18 Oct. 2018, https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.scottsdalecc. edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=mcc_sctsd&id=GAL E%7CA559273268&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon

Flood, Alison. “Do We Need Posthumous Publication?” The Guardian, 20 Mar. 2009, www.theguardian.com/books/ booksblog/2009/mar/19/barthes-david-foster-wallace

Gretz, Richard T., Renard, Stan. “Music, Death, and Profits: Variables Contributing to the Surge in Sales After an Artist’s Death.” MEIEA Journal, Vol. 19, No. 1, 2019 https://go-gale-com.ezproxy.scottsdalecc edu/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=mcc_sctsd&id=GAL E%7CA612031571&v=2.1&it=r&sid=summon

Heller, Karen. “What would Prince want? Two years later, his estate is a mess and his legacy unclear.: The artist left a vault of unreleased music but no will — and Paisley Park is quickly becoming the Graceland of Minnesota.” The Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2018, https://proquest.com/ docview/207449494?accountid=227&parentSessionid=0Ti eGHXBFJ7nXduqnNrgTzNUrpqT%2FMHF1eZGEeaYQ%3D&pqori gsite=summon&forcedol=true

Lynskey, Dorian, Robinson, Peter. “Is it OK to release ‘new’ music after an artist’s death? Kurt Cobain and Aaliyah have new posthumous releases due, featuring unheard material. Is this fair to any musician?” The Observer [London, England] 18 Aug. 2015, https://go-gale-com.esproxy.scottsdalecc edu/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T004&resultListType=RESULT LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&hitCount=1&searchType= AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=1&docID=GALE%7CA42 5896407&docType=Article&sort=RELEVANCE&contentSegment= ZONE-MOD1&prodId=AONE&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE% 7CA425896407&searchId=R1&userGroupName=mcc sctsd&inPS=true