14 March 2016
Episode 231
29 minutes
Last month the classic song ‘Happy Birthday’ was made public domain. We use this as a springboard to discuss some of the music industry's most contentious rights cases. Meanwhile, we set out to debunk a few mysteries surrounding the recent acquisition of Vantablack – the blackest substance ever made – by the sculptor Anish Kapoor.
14 March 2016
Share episode
DownloadChapter 1
13 minutes
15
15
/
In early February the song ‘Happy Birthday’ was declared public domain after a long court battle that saw the Warner Chappell music group lose the rights to the track when their claim was deemed invalid. We use this story as a springboard to discuss some other musical misadventures concerning artists’ rights to their own compositions. Robert Bound speaks to Chris Cooke, co-founder and business editor of the ‘Complete Music Update’.
13 minutes
Share chapter 1
Chapter 2
11 minutes
Photo: Melanie Lazarow
15
15
/
The art world is all riled up by the news that Anish Kapoor has acquired the artistic rights to a material called Vantablack: the blackest substance known to man, which absorbs almost all light and heat. It’s a strange material that is used in defence, aviation and technology but when applied to art plays with the ideas of colour and depth. It opens up a fascinating debate of ownership and aesthetics; we get the legal and artistic perspectives on this storm in a paint pot.
11 minutes
Share chapter 2
Want more radio episodes like these in your inbox?
Sign up to Monocle’s email newsletters to stay on top of news and opinion, plus the latest from the magazine, radio, film and shop.
Monocle on Culture - latest episodes
The Staves
Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, the sisters behind English indie-folk band The Staves, join Robert Bound in the studio. Their John Congleton-produced fifth LP, ‘All Now’, is lyrically rich and full of moments of eup…
Lauren Oyler
Cultural critic and novelist Lauren Oyler’s essays and reviews have caused a stir online. She joins Robert Bound in the studio to discuss her new book of essays, ‘No Judgement’. Oyler muses on gossip, Goodreads, expat life…
Spain’s international contemporary art fair Arco Madrid
We head to the Spanish capital for a special edition of the programme from Arco Madrid. As well as being a major contemporary art market platform, the fair has a strong curatorial core and deep connections with the Latin…
‘Io Capitano', Lana Lubany and the first AI-created artworks
We meet the director and script consultant of ‘Io Capitano’, the stirring Oscar-nominated film that follows two Senegalese teenagers as they try to make their way from their homeland to Europe. Plus: we catch up with the…
Hans Zimmer
Ahead of the release of ‘Dune: Part Two’, we speak to the legendary film score composer and music producer, Hans Zimmer. He discusses his love for Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, his approach to world building and how he was…
Yoko Ono’s endless imagination
We head to London’s Tate Modern gallery for ‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind’. The UK’s largest-ever exhibition on the work of the artist and activist, it brings together her performances, films, music, photography and more.…
The untold story of Cymande and the return of Pina Bausch’s ‘Nelken’
We explore the world of Cymande, a 1970s jazz-funk group that is the subject of a new documentary, ‘Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande’. Robert Bound meets band members Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio, and catches up…
The Last Dinner Party
We meet Abigail Morris, Georgia Davis and Lizzie Mayland from UK indie band The Last Dinner Party. After signing with Island Records, the group won the Rising Star Award at the Brits and topped the BBC’s Sound of 2024 list…
‘The Zone of Interest’
We discuss ‘The Zone of Interest’, the latest film by UK film director Jonathan Glazer. Loosely based on Martin Amis’s novel of the same name, the film tells the story of Rudolf Höss, camp commandant at Auschwitz-Birkenau…
A deep dive into the career and character of Werner Herzog
We dive into the unique career and personality of filmmaker Werner Herzog. We catch up with Thomas von Steinaecker, the director of a new documentary, ‘Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer’, which paints a portrait of the man…
Treading the boards in 2024
Nancy Durrant and Matt Wolf join Robert Bound in the studio to preview the very best theatre to look forward to in 2024. They discuss a lively ska musical, a new play about the architect of the NHS, a Broadway debut from…
Looking ahead at the year in culture
Ashanti Omkar, Ossian Ward and Chris Power join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the TV shows, art exhibitions and books that you should have on your radar this year.
Review: ‘The Boy and the Heron’
Film critics Simran Hans and Tim Robey join Robert Bound in the studio to review Hayao Miyazaki’s new film, ‘The Boy and the Heron’.
Best of Monocle on Culture 2023
We bring you the best of this year’s Monocle on Culture, including singer Jessie Ware, ‘Oppenheimer’ director Christopher Nolan and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Colson Whitehead.
2023 in review
Laura Snapes, Andrew Male and Leila Latif join Robert Bound in the studio to round up the best of this year’s albums, books and films.