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Tag: Marvin Gaye family

  • Marvin Gaye Family: Will They Be Taking A Closer Look At “Happy” Now That They Won “Blurred Lines” Suit?

    Marvin Gaye’s family won a historic lawsuit on Tuesday against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke.

    The family of Marvin Gaye claimed that the song “Blurred Lines” stole too many elements from, and sounded too much like, Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up”.

    Marvin Gaye’s family won a judgement of over $7 million for using elements of “Got to Give It Up” without permission.

    “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being inspired,” Nona Gaye, Marvin Gaye’s 40-year-old daughter, explained. “I’ve been inspired when I made music before. Inspiration’s fine, but the line is when you decide to take the complete and utter essence out of the song. When you take all the meat, and leave the bones.”

    Had fun performing at last's night Stevie Wonder tribute with Ryan Tedder. Thank you @chanelofficial

    A photo posted by Pharrell Williams (@pharrell) on

    After the verdict, the family is going to enjoy their victory and rest after their long-fought battle.

    “My heart started pounding but I still had faith that the verdict was going to go our way,” Janis Gaye, Marvin Gaye’s ex-wife, said of the moments just before the verdict was read. After the verdict was read, it all came rushing out.

    She added, “That’s when I lost it completely. And I was filled with incredibly powerful emotion.”

    Now that the victory is in the bag for Marvin Gaye’s family, they say they might just take a closer listen to Pharrell Williams’ incredibly popular song, “Happy”.

    Marvin Gaye’s family says that the song sounds a lot like Marvin Gaye’s hit, “Ain’t That Peculiar”.

    Nona Gaye said of the two songs, “I’m not going to lie. I do think they sound alike.”

    I don’t know, that seems like a stretch to me.

    But, the family is not quite ready to start over again with another lawsuit just yet.

    She said, “We’re not in that space.”

    Janis Gaye said, “We’re just in the moment today and we’re satisfied.”

    She added, “I heard the mash-ups — but I didn’t really need to hear them. I know ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ and I’ve heard ‘Happy’.”

    The victory of Marvin Gaye’s family in this lawsuit has shaken the music world and raised a lot of questions about the creative process.

    “You’ve made it illegal to reference previous material,” said Los Angeles composer and producer Gregory Butler, who is also a managing director at music start-up WholeWorldBand. “I’m never going to come up with something so radically different that it doesn’t contain references to something else.”

    Joe Escalante, an early member of the Vandals and current entertainment law attorney, said, “This may put a smile on the Gaye family’s face, but it’s a dark day for creativity, and in the end, this will be a net loss for music fans.”

    He added, “Good news for lawyers and the bitter everywhere.”

    What do you think? Do “Happy” and “Ain’t That Peculiar” sound enough alike to warrant a lawsuit? Where is the line between inspiration and theft?

  • Marvin Gaye Heirs Face Counterclaim in “Blurred Lines” Legal Battle

    Robin Thicke’s summer hit, “Blurred Lines” has come under fire this week, and the heirs of Marvin Gaye definitely aren’t happy. According to the court documents filed on Wednesday, Gaye’s children allege that “Blurred Lines” is an ‘illegal rip-off’ of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit, “Got to Give it Up.”

    The song, which is also the name of Thicke’s sixth studio album, was produced by hip hop legend, Pharrell Williams, and written by rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris and Robin Thicke, himself. While all three artists are accused of copyright violations, they aren’t the only ones who have come under fire. Gaye’s heirs also placed blame on Sony-ATV. For those who aren’t aware of Sony-ATV’s role in the industry, the company is a music publishing subsidiary owned and operated by Sony Music and the Estate of Michael Jackson.
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    In a nutshell, their role is to manage, distribute, and pay out prospective royalties for records on behalf of performing artists, producers and songwriters. The Gaye family is accusing the company of failure to uphold its responsibility in protecting the copyright of Gaye’s music catalog.
    http://youtu.be/75BlzjqGVcc

    Sony-ATV was contracted by Gaye’s family following his death to manage his music catalog. However, conflict of interest is the crux of the problem in this particular matter. According to CNN, a counterclaim, also filed on Wednesday, revealed that the company also represents Pharrell Williams, which is why Sony-ATV ‘reluctantly’ refused to sue him, Thicke, and Harris when the Gaye family asked them to do so. The counterclaim was filed on behalf of the “Blurred Lines” artists in response to the lawsuit.

    Thicke’s lawsuit also states that there are “no similarities” between the two records other than instrumental and commonplace elements relative to style musicianship. Thicke also argues that his record is not a form of copyright infringement simply because his record reminds listener’s of Gaye’s record.
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    “Blurred Lines” was definitely a chart topping summer hit, holding strong on the Billboard pop charts for a record-breaking 16 weeks. The court documents report that the record’s sales also spoke volumes in regards to its chart-topping status, as it sold more than 6 million copies.