Mark Starlin I don’t disagree. This piece is intended as a reflection on the question, rather than an opinion one way or the other. The point about struggling to make money is interesting, because in the past, whilst some have made lots of money out of their protest songs (Dylan) others have suffered commercially because of their political output.

I don’t believe, though, that every music consumer would not appreciate some form of “protest” in their music. If you look at the impact of protest music-even as far back as say, the Classical period- it has been a massive gamechanger. Look at, say, Beethoven’s Eroica, and the effect on music and the era.