The music industry has always been in a state of change, and this is no more apparent than in the current environment. The digital revolution has changed the way people record, perform, and disseminate their artistic creations, and has brought up questions of authenticity and integrity. With more production values, a question arises regarding what artistic license requires and if it is legitimate.
An excellent example of this question is the use of samples and sequencing in current musical art forms.The full explanation can be found at http://musicbusinessheretic.wordpress.com/2011/07/05/the-future-of-music-4-ways-to-protect-your-music-from-digital-piracy/ Are the original artists being stolen from? And if so, how will they be recompensed for their input? The legalities of this issue are complex, but perhaps a little historical perspective can shed some light.
The truth of the matter is that no one is really sure where certain musical ideas came from in the first place. And through time, all music has been derived from the musical forms that came before them, so it is a never ending cycle. Most genres are borrowing from each other liberally, and continually, so there may be no real claim on any particular style at all. Paying close attention to the wide variety of music available will bear this point of view out.