The world has a rich history of traditions and varying music genres. When you hear someone say “modern music,” you typically think of what’s popular on the radio or what the Billboard Top 40 offers. Music has a place all across the world, and with more innovations and the availability of technology for everyone, each culture’s musical origins are mixing in with each other.
The result becomes a fusion of influences that have redefined the modern sound. The exposure and education of generations present a more diverse pool of music to pick from. Consider the popularity of Latin music with hits including “Livin’ la Vida Loca” and “Hips Don’t Lie” by artists whose primary language is Spanish.
These mixed music genres help create new sounds that engage listeners and keep past music influences alive and included in the future as styles and artists progress. Here are just a few of the common fusions of genres, how they started, and what it means for today’s modern music industry.
Fusion Music and Its Humble Beginnings
It’s necessary first to examine what it means to have fusion influences in music. Crossover music, or fusion music, is a mix of various musical styles together that make more unique compositions.
The origin of mixing musical styles in this fashion began as early as the 1960s when musicians and artists began blending and experimenting with musical styles to make something different. One of the earliest examples discovered of fusion was when jazz musicians collaborated with rock bands, like Miles Davis and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. The genre became a mix of soul, funk, and rock together, known as jazz fusion.
Eventually, fusion music evolved and created many combinations of genres. While jazz-rock became “jazz fusion,” it is still the first noted beginning of the mixing of music genres, so it is also strongly referred to as just “fusion.” Some of the more popular types of fusion blends you’ll hear about today include the following:
- Alternative metal
- Country rap
- Dance punk
- Hip house
- Pop punk
- Progressive rock
- Afrobeats
- Funk metal
- Southern rock
- Celtic fusion
- Metalbilly
- Electronic rock
- Glam metal
These are only some of the types of mixed genres you’ll experience. Some of these are sung in a variety of languages, so depending on where you are in the world, the fusion music can vary.
Implications for Music Licensing
The fusion of genres presents unique challenges and opportunities in the realm of music licensing. As the lines between genres blur, licensing, traditionally categorized by clear-cut genre definitions, has to adapt. This adaptation is crucial in a world where a single piece of music might encompass elements from multiple genres, each with its distinct licensing norms.
One of the critical challenges is the categorization of these fusion works for licensing purposes. The traditional approach of genre-based categorization becomes inadequate. There’s a need for a more nuanced system that can accommodate the complex nature of these compositions.
Moreover, the collaborative nature of these fusion projects often involves multiple artists and rights holders, adding layers of complexity to the licensing process. Clearing rights for such works can be a daunting task, necessitating transparent and efficient communication between all parties involved.
Fusion Music Today: The Modern Sound and Copyrights
The connection between genres is astounding. The nature of fusion music inspires musicians to break through the barriers of so-called specific musical types and push those lines to develop something new, different, and pleasing to the ears.
Social media and digital streaming have made music accessible to all, so it’s no surprise that influences can come from so many different genres to create fusion. Music is a critical feature in many videos and posts, so people can utilize music to showcase their brand. It’s necessary to ensure that music copyrights and licensing laws remain in place.
Fusion music has many pulls, and you may be perusing your socials and think that if a song isn’t “original,” it’s free for use. However, there’s a strong possibility that it is derived from the genre fusion, so you want to ensure proper licensing before you put it into a video or showcase it for your followers.
Content creators and influencers, even the everyday person, need to exercise caution when posting various fusion music to avoid Instagram copyright violations. Copyright laws can become tricky to understand when utilizing a piece of music or sound that belongs to a specific publisher or composer, and due royalties are necessary. Review music licensing and copyright rules before using fusion music on your social channels.
Key Creators in Fusion Music
Numerous talented, well-known, and independent artists have contributed to fusion’s growth and development. Miles Davis was one of the founding fathers who collaborated to create a new sound. But he wasn’t the only one; There are a couple of other famous contributors in the beginning to the world of fusion music.
Zappa was an iconic artist who worked across many genres of music, mainly rock, jazz, and classical. He combined and developed eclectic, one-of-a-kind compositions that incorporated elements from each of these genres to experiment with and make a new, popular sound.
Hancock was a jazz pianist who eventually started exploring fusion styles incorporating electronic jazz and world music. His sound was groundbreaking enough to provide him the Grammy Award fourteen times during his musical career.
Today, you can see evidence of music fusion in the hit song “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen, which utilized a plethora of styles in just one song. It includes elements of a slow piano ballad, progressive rock, and even an operatic passage.
Some other examples of modern music fusion projects and their origins are:
- Capercaillie – Gaelic traditional with modern music technology production
- Afro Celt Sound System – Irish traditional, West African conventional, electric dance
- Esperanza Spalding – samba with jazz
- Dizzy Gillespie and Machito – Afro-Cuban with jazz
Fusion Music in The Future
Modern sound is growing in popularity, and fusion music has numerous genres that have crossed paths to develop something new and different. The legacy that has evolved from fusion is a testament to music’s power and how innovation can provide you with endless possibilities in the creative arts to redefine sound and make “new” music again.
