Philanthropy & Music

Send us a text

In this episode we take a look at the long history of the relationship between philanthropy and music. Including:

Philanthropy supporting music

• Patronage & philanthropy
• Who gets to decide which music count as "art"?
• How did Victorian paternalism tie in with the promotion of music?
• How and when did the state come to accept responsibility for funding music?

Musicians as Philanthropists

• How does the fact that many musicians come from relatively modest or poor backgrounds inform their giving?
• Celebrity musician philanthropy: from Jenny Lind to John Legend
• The history of charity fundraising concerts

Philanthropy in Music

• Are there any good songs about philanthropy?

Related Links

• Rhod's article on "Marcus Rashford, Dolly Parton and public perceptions of Philanthropy"
• Classic FM, "Who were the great patrons of music?"
• Classic FM, "Seven times when great composers made some noise for charity"
• Drummond (1978)  "The Royal Society of Musicians in the Eighteenth Century"
• Uy, Michael Sy (2017) "The Big Bang of Music Patronage in the United States: The National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation". (PhD Thesis)
• Samples (2016) "The Humbug and the Nightingale: P. T. Barnum, Jenny Lind, and the Branding of a Star Singer for American Reception"
• Rolling Stone, "Prince, the Secret Philanthropist: ‘His Cause Was Humanity’"
• Guardian, "The philanthropic acts of George Michael: from £5k tips to nurses' gigs"
• Nonprofit Quarterly, "Sankofa Philanthropy: Hip Hop’s Sixth Element"
• BBC, "10 pop stars who donated unbelievable amounts of money"
• Rolling Stone, "Heal the World: 20 Songs for a Good Cause"
• Lee (2010)"Heeding the Call: An Historical Overview of Philanthropy in Rock"