Musicology chair Joanna Demers speaks about “Blurred Lines” verdict on NPR radio

Joanna Demers, USC Thornton chair of Musicology, was a featured guest on the NPR radio show, “On Point with Tom Ashbrook.” Demers, whose research and teaching interests include popular and experimental music since 1945, weighed in on the music copyright fight involving Robin Thicke and Pharrell William’s 2013 mega-hit, “Blurred Lines.”

A Los Angeles jury ruled that the song stole from Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give it Up,” with a $7.4 million judgment against Thicke and Williams. Demers discussed the “devil in the details” of copyright protections, the changes in the interpretation of copyright law over time, and how this decision affects the greater music industry.