Musicology

It’s that “Standing Outside The Fire” by Garth Brooks sounds a ton like “Conviction Of The Heart” by Kenny Loggins. And this conflict came to a supposedly “amicable” settlement many years ago. But Loggins put out a memoir recently and brought up the whole thing again and it sounds a bit less amicable. Settlements don’t …

Go big or go home, I guess? Songwriter and performer Andy Stone is suing Mariah Carey and a co-writer for $20 Million because he might actually believe “All I Want For Christmas Is You” is an infringement of his own song by the same title released a few years prior. I know, nobody wants to …

One for my lawyer friends. My expertise is musical, not legal, but of course, I think about music through a legal lens pertaining to copyright law. And I’ll get frustrated with the way things are handled, legally, from time to time. This is one of those times. The last time I tried to be so …

Headlines galore: “Ed Sheeran blasts the culture of copyright cases!” and “Ed Sheeran will video his songwriting sessions from now on!” As has become the drill, reporting on these cases is about putting the latest high-profile lawsuit du jour in context with Blurred Lines and the copyright infringement cases that have followed. And I suppose …

Making time for a hot take on a Friday, because news popped today that the jazz gospel a cappella group Take 6 has evidently (I’m not certain) filed an infringement suit because the Grammy-nominated H.E.R. (featuring Bryson Tiller) track “Could’ve Been” sure sounds like it relies heavily on a sample from Take 6’s “Come Unto …

Two songs that sound a lot alike. Is it copying or coincidence? Anyone remember a Seinfeld episode in which Elaine and a visiting character, Zara, argued about whether some coincidences are bigger than others, or all coincidences just 100% coincidences? If you agree with Elaine, that there are degrees of coincidences, which is about perception …

This popped yesterday and it took a few hours for me to spot it, so I dont have a thoughtful take on it yet. But give me a few more hours and I’ll get after it. I can’t wait, really. I can give a not so thoughtful take right now though, and it’s that at …

It’s so funny. The other day, Ed Sheeran “slammed copyright lawsuits” because as you probably know, he had just suffered through a miserable one in which he was characterized as a serial plagiarist. A fantastically thorough and thoughtful judgment cleared Shape of You — the outcome predicted here. But the amusing part: After the wave …

There has been a log going on lately. As I’m writing this, Ed Sheehan is the defendant in not one, but two lawsuits. Dua Lipa too, yep, a defendant in not one, but two lawsuits. And today, we’re looking at Sam Smith and Normani’s 2019 hit, “Dancing With A Stranger,” because a songwriter named Jordan …

Ed Sheeran is in court this week because his megahit “Shape Of You” bears some similarity to Sami Chokri’s “Oh Why.” And you’re saying to yourself, “That guy gets sued a lot, doesn’t he?” Ed Sheeran might get sued more than any musician in the world today. This isn’t even the only litigation he’s got …