<
https://theconversation.com/from-rebel-to-retail-inside-bob-marleys-posthumous-musical-and-merchandising-empire-220213>
"The long-awaited Bob Marley biopic “One Love” will highlight important moments
in the musician’s life – his adolescence in Trench Town, his spiritual growth,
the attempt on his life. But as a music industry scholar, I wonder if the film
is yet another extension of the Marley marketing machine.
Marley died in 1981 at the age of 36. He’d achieved a level of mainstream
success unrivaled by other reggae acts, and he did so while challenging global
capitalism and speaking to the oppressed.
This image, however, is fundamentally at odds with what has happened to
Marley’s name and likeness since his death.
Now you can buy Bob Marley backpacks, Bob Marley jigsaw puzzles – even Bob
Marley flip-flops.
The accusation of “selling out” could once seriously threaten an artist’s
credibility; the insult wields far less power in an era when an artist’s
survival often depends on sponsorship and licensing deals. Meanwhile, a
deceased artist’s ongoing earnings are left in the hands of others.
Nonetheless, when a musician as revered as Marley – and whose songs were
suffused with messages of liberation, anti-imperialism and anti-capitalism –
becomes so commercialized, it’s worth wondering how this happened and whether
it threatens his artistic legacy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
