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Philanthropy and Music

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

Learn from our past to better understand our future.

Philanthropy has a long and varied history. We’ve created bite-size chapters that you can jump in and out of to better understand philanthropy.