Every human operates on systems of knowledge they did not come up with. The most current view and opinions were built on previous knowledge. Plagiarism is the use of some else’s ideas in your writing without citing them accordingly. The writer is thus taking credit for someone else’s content. By definition, ghostwriting songs should be a prime example of plagiarism. A musician is taking credit and getting recognition from publishing someone else’s work.
Some songs are not written by the artist but rather by a team of writers. However, it is not considered plagiarism on the musician’s part, as is done by permission. Plagiarism depends on the audience’s expectations, and how much the work depends on authenticity on the author’s part (Bailey,2015). Rihanna getting her songs written for her does not matter as much as a student copying an essay. Songwriting is a big industry because some people lack musical talent or recognition but have the writing skills. Ed Sheeran writes his songs and assists other artists such as Jess Glynne in writing (Bailey, 2015). Since the content comes with permission from the authors, it is not plagiarism.
Ghostwriting, especially in the music industry, is not considered plagiarism because the work still represents the ideas of the artist. Since the work still falls on the artist’s name, they have the final say whether the content accurately describes them. However, some artists take pride in writing their songs and having complete creative control, though this does not discredit others for having their songs written. The lines between ghostwriting and plagiarism are thin, and one should tread carefully.
References
Bailey, J. (2015). Why is ghostwriting not always considered plagiarism? Plagiarism today. Web.