Because of little things like social media and the internet, getting away with plagiarism is quite difficult these days.
Yet, for some reason pop stars think that no one will notice.
Rihanna was sued by photographer David LaChapelle for using images directly out of his photography for her “S&M” video, and her “Rude Boy” video was criticized by the producer Diplo for “completely ripping off” M.I.A’s video for “Boyz”.
Back in May, Beyoncé came under scrutiny for her Billboard Music Awards performance, which appeared to be heavily inspired by a performance by Italian television personality Lorella Cuccarini at the 2010 Sanremo Festival.
Take a look for yourself:
And now, yet again, after releasing her new video for "Countdown", Beyoncé has been accused of plagiarism by Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeke who said in a statement,
"This is plagiarism ... This is stealing. What's rude about it is that they don't even bother about hiding it. They seem to think they could do it because it's a famous work...
“Beyoncé is not the worst copycat, she sings and dances very well, and she has a good taste!”
Once again, take a look for yourself. The similarities are glaringly obvious:
Artists in the pop music world are constantly borrowing and being inspired by each other. Sometimes a very old act is recreated decades later, like when Lady Gaga performed as a mermaid in a wheel chair, an act of Bette Midler’s she was apparently unaware of, and sometimes newer artists like to be super inspired by their contemporaries - like just about everything Katy Perry ever does. Ahem.
What surprises me about artists like Beyoncé so obviously taking heaping spoonfuls of inspiration from other artists is the arrogance that seems to coincide with it. As if no one will notice, or that no one will figure it out. Or, is it that it's not even arrogance, but an awareness that even if their fans notice the similarities, they will still love the video anyway, and therefore the ramifications will be few and far between?
To be honest, after watching "Countdown", I can see the plagiarism, but the video and the song and Beyoncé are so freaking fierce I almost don't even care, myself...