Should You Judge Music Based on an Artist’s Reputation?

E. O. Milne

IF THERE WAS AN EXQUISITE PIECE OF MUSIC THAT YOU LOVED UP UNTIL THE PRESENT DAY, BUT THEN THE ARTIST WHO CREATED IT DID SOMETHING THAT YOU DISAGREE WITH, WOULD YOU CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO THE MUSIC?

Would you listen to the music that you once loved even though you knew you could be judged for playing tracks from that artist’s discography?

It begs the question, should we judge our music preferences based on the personal life of an artist? Should their sense of morality cause us to doubt our own musical preferences?

I have repeatedly asked myself these questions. For example, should I listen to Michael Jackson even though he is an alleged paedophile? Artists having a criminal record is not uncommon but when the media gets their hands on it, they can always turn it against the person whose name is on the front cover.

But it isn’t just criminal activity. If a singer says something in an interview that is considered offensive. Does that mean that their number one song still deserves to remain at number one?

To begin with, I think that music often comes from the personal life of the person that creates it, and if that person does something morally questionable then that may possibly be somehow represented in their music. It changes a song’s meaning and symbolism, with the public faced with knowing that the person who, for example, wrote a beautiful love song is now facing sexual assault charges.

Though at the same time, someone’s interpretation of a song may differ to that of everyone around them. That is the reason why not everyone has the same music taste, because people’s interpretation of lyrics is based on what they think its meaning is to them.

So, does this mean that the song is now the publics or the artists?

What happens if it is the fame and fortune that causes them to fall into disrepute? What I mean that, if there was a young boy who wrote a song and later in life he released the song, and from there it made him rich and famous, and then he got into drugs and was arrested for dealing with illegal narcotics, does that mean that the song he wrote before he got involved with these substances was still good because he had not yet made those wrong decisions in his life?

Because I know very well that at times we all make mistakes. We have all gone down the wrong path at some point and not a single human can say that they are perfect. Though only people under the spotlight get persecuted and called out for their mistakes and wrongdoings.

Now I’m not saying that we should support people who are criminals or say or do awful things in general. All I am saying is that if that person’s music is good, then you should continue listening to it. Music is about bringing you joy and the person who made it shouldn’t be allowed to take that away from you.

People exhibit poor judgement all the time. But in the music industry I believe you should not judge art on the acts of its creator.

Instead, you should judge it on how it makes you feel.

Because that is what music is for.