Copy and paste uniqueness

I just heard that Joe Satriani (the guitarist for those who do not know) is planning to sue Coldplay (the soft-rock band whose lead singer Chris Martin is married to Gwyneth Paltrow) for a song in which the guitar riff is amazingly similar to a Satriani song. I'd have to say that this is one area where it seems ambiguous as to how to define originality. Guitar riffs seem recycled all across the many generations of rock, and even into punk, country, pop etc. You can even extrapolate that into snippets of piano or any other melody used. And unless the two songs are contemporary competitors (released at around the same time) then the whole lawsuit thing is just a publicity stunt. I'd have to say there is probably rampant copying, recycling and reprocessing in the music business. It's hard to find anything that is truly "original". You've got "sampling" and "mixing" in the hip-hop world, that by definition use the work of other musicians. You've got artists recording "covers", "tributes", "re-releases". Why? Well I for one will admit that it is certainly more efficient to peddle a known commodity than to gamble on something new. It's the McDonalds syndrome. No matter how generic or inferior, it is predictable and ubiquitous. The bean-counters are better able to project the profit margin. Even musicians that start their career outside the mainstream usually end up sacrificing uniqueness to appeal to a broader audience with a shorter attention span. So how do you foster creativity and innovation? Instead of buying the pick of the week from iTunes, search blogs and other informal sources. Find the local music scene in your area. Talk to the unsigned bands about music they recommend. Your ears will thank you. Rock out.