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“
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.
