The Herald reports: The Government is introducing sweeping changes to copyright law, which will see songs like I See Red by Split Enz, Dragon’s April Sun in Cuba and Hello Sailor’s Gutter Black enjoy extended copyright protection. Copyright protection for these songs would expire in the next two years without the law change. As they should. It was released 48 years…
Let’s not celebrate copyright law extension
Let’s not celebrate copyright law extension
06 Jun 2026 Leave a comment
in law and economics, Music, politics - New Zealand, property rights Tags: patents and copyrights
A Now – Something Completely Different: A Concert Review – Split Enz
11 May 2026 Leave a comment
in Music
(Given that David F. brings us his travel stories I am hoping he will allow this one). A life passion of mine is a love of music – and especially going to concerts. For a NZ perspective; upon Dave Dobbyn becoming a “Sir” I had the privilege of writing this piece and a couple of…
A Now – Something Completely Different: A Concert Review – Split Enz
The History of Music Piracy: Did It Really Hurt the Music Industry?
26 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, economic history, economics of media and culture, law and economics, Music, property rights Tags: copyrights and patents
For as long as there has been recorded music, there have been attempts to copy, share, and distribute it without paying for it. Music piracy is often painted as a villain in the story of the modern music industry—accused of draining billions in revenue, shuttering record stores, and crippling artist careers. But is that the […]
The History of Music Piracy: Did It Really Hurt the Music Industry?
A good corporate welfare expose
11 Apr 2026 Leave a comment
in income redistribution, Music, politics - New Zealand, Public Choice
The Spinoff becomes an unlikely fiscal conservative: Tourism minister Louise Upston was excited when she announced that Robbie Williams will play two shows in Auckland and Christchurch later this year. “It’s fantastic to welcome a showstopper act like Robbie, giving fans the chance to see him entertaining us,” she said in a press release. The…
A good corporate welfare expose
Knowing When It Works: Artists vs Producers
09 Jan 2026 Leave a comment
in economics of education, movies, Music, television, TV shows
Great artists are often distinguished not merely by talent, but by judgement. They possess an internal compass—hard-won, intuitive, and sometimes infuriatingly resistant to external advice—that tells them when a work works. This judgement is not always aligned with commercial logic, institutional taste, or the anxieties of producers and executives. The history of twentieth-century culture provides striking […]
Knowing When It Works: Artists vs Producers
Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman-John Lennon’s Killer: A Psychological Profile
11 Dec 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of crime, law and economics, Music
This blog provides a structured psychological overview of Mark David Chapman, the individual responsible for the 1980 murder of musician John Lennon. Drawing upon documented interviews, legal testimony, and secondary analyses from criminology and psychology scholars, the essay examines key psychological themes associated with Chapman, including identity instability, obsessive ideation, parasocial attachment, and the role […]
Inside the Mind of Mark David Chapman-John Lennon’s Killer: A Psychological Profile
Yesterday- 60 Years ago!
14 Sep 2025 Leave a comment
in Music
“Yesterday” is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. First released on the 1965 album Help!, it was issued as a U.S. single the following September, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In the UK, it appeared on the EP Yesterday in March […]
Yesterday- 60 Years ago!
Someone had to listen to all this music
10 Aug 2025 Leave a comment
in Marxist economics, Music Tags: fall of communism
Eric Clapton is 80
31 Mar 2025 Leave a comment
in Music
Yes. they say that age is “just a number,” but it isn’t in one sense: the bigger the number, the closer we are to taking The Big Nap. But in the birthday/anniversary sense, yes, it’s significant—though only because humans evolved with ten digits. And Eric Clapton has one of these anniversaries: he was born on […]
Eric Clapton is 80
Bands away
28 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in entrepreneurship, labour economics, labour supply, Music Tags: creative destruction
Madonna – Like A Prayer had a trigger warning for religious imagery on MTV80s
23 Feb 2025 Leave a comment
in economics of religion, liberalism, Marxist economics, Music, television Tags: Blasphemy, free speech, political correctness, regressive left
Marianne Faithfull 29.12.46 – 30.1.24
31 Jan 2025 Leave a comment
in Music
Marianne Faithfull, singer and actress, has died: . .Her story is a remarkable portrait of the rock and roll era. She was a doe-eyed poster girl of the 1960s, plucked from obscurity by the Rolling Stones’ manager at the age of 16 and given As Tears Go By, the first song ever written by Jagger […]
Marianne Faithfull 29.12.46 – 30.1.24
Mark David Chapman and the Murder of John Lennon
09 Dec 2024 Leave a comment
in economic history, economics of crime, law and economics, Music Tags: crime and punishment, criminal deterrence, economics of mental health, law and order
The murder of John Lennon on December 8, 1980, stands as one of the most shocking and tragic events in music and cultural history. Mark David Chapman, the man responsible for this heinous act, became infamous as the individual who ended the life of one of the most beloved and influential figures in the world […]
Mark David Chapman and the Murder of John Lennon
Band Aid at 40
23 Nov 2024 1 Comment
in development economics, growth disasters, Music
In the pantheon of charitable music events, few stand as tall as Band Aid, the groundbreaking 1984 charity supergroup. Conceived by Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats and Midge Ure of Ultravox, Band Aid was formed to combat the devastating famine in Ethiopia, a crisis that had gripped global attention. Their mission: to raise funds […]
Band Aid at 40
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
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