Robin Thicke solicits donations to defray the $7.4m settlement.
Robin Thicke solicits donations to defray the $7.4m settlement. Debby Wong/Shutterstock.com

Many pundits are decrying the March 10 verdict that determined Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams's 2013 single "Blurred Lines" too closely resembled Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up" and the resultant $7.3 million fine levied against the alleged musical plagiarists. These prognosticators think that a tsunami of similar copyright infringement suits will hit musicians and composers, and that the industry will become one massive litigious clusterfuck. Perhaps. And while some savor the schadenfreude banquet of world-class asshole Robin Thicke getting his wallet lightened, the reasoning behind the decision is highly dubious; there's a difference between using an influence and outright stealing and, if anything, "Blurred Lines" increased the visibility of Gaye's work and stimulated sales of his back catalog. Nevertheless, I think this development could actually be a boon for music, a powerful spur for creativity. People, I think we're about to witness a new era of unprecedented originality.

With the pervasive fear of legal repercussions looming over them, recording artists will force themselves to go to great lengths to avoid facing the drainage of their financial resources. Yes, thanks to the "Blurred Lines" cause célèbre, we can expect a thousand Harry Partches to bloom. Musicians will start building their own instruments en masse and begin generating new tuning systems. They will invent novel languages with which to sing their songs. We will see a decrease of the 4/4 time signature and an increase of stranger meters. Expect a revolution in rhythm that will make Return to Forever and Squarepusher look like rudimentary plodders. In an ironic twist of fate, the vastly derivative Thicke and Williams could be the catalysts for a huge wave of sonic innovation.