When starting down the path of songwriting (or music production, more generally) it’s likely that the first recourse of many will be to try and match the sounds and styles of their influences. To some, copying the approach of the people who inspired them to pick up their respective instruments is the first step on the way to discovering their own creative identities.
But, as greater awareness of plagiarism and its broadening definition permeates the news, there’s also the risk that being too similar to your heroes can be a detriment.
It’s also creatively limiting, and risks you being pigeon-holed as an inferior shadow of the real thing.
A man who himself was inspired by a wide range of cultural and literary icons was pressed for his view on whether aspiring songwriters should seek to emulate him. Back in 2004, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bob Dylan had this response: “No, no, no. It’s only natural to pattern yourself after someone. If I wanted to be a painter, I might think about trying to be like Van Gogh, or if I was an actor, act like Laurence Olivier. If I was an architect, there’s Frank Gehry.
