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Blurred Lines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyDUC1LUXSU

Got To Give It Up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp7Q1OAzITM


Jury finds Pharrell, Thicke copied for 'Blurred Lines' and awards Marvin Gaye's family $7.3 million.

https://www.yahoo.com/music/s/jury-resumes-deliberating-blurred-lines-song-copying-case-173902380.html


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I would not have thought these two were so similar except maybe for the general rhythm of the song and parts of its arrangement.


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Originally Posted By: GHinCH
I would not have thought these two were so similar except maybe for the general rhythm of the song and parts of its arrangement.

yeah, I reckon it's a crock.


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Get a good lawyer and the right jury and all things become possible.


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There's a video running on YouTube which has spliced the two songs together, so that it switches between them. Having listened to the songs like that, I think I might have agreed with the judgement.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziz9HW2ZmmY

See what you think.

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I definitely think the bass and rhythm track was copped from the Marvin Gaye song, but I don't know how to feel about the outcome of the case.

When a background lick can become a copyrighted item, it can open up some doors that many songwriters don't want opened.

For example, if you wrote a song and played a ninth chord arpeggio in a syncopated rhythm, does it infringe on James Brown's "I Got You"?

Or a Traverse Picking arpeggio like the opening of the Kansas song "Dust In The Wind" - is it a steal?

Since I've never written anything that has a chance of making a million dollars, I suppose it doesn't apply to me wink -- but still -- I think in the long run it can have a negative effect on the pop music business.

I do own a number of copyrights myself, but like I said, I have mixed feelings about the outcome.

What do you think?

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This probably made the media circus scene since the newer song made so much money. If it was a relatively unknown individual that made it and was not selling a lot of copies no one would have cared.




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Like the music business needs any more problems!

what do I think?

I think lawyers are helping to make the world a better place!

NOT!

If you are visibly making money, they want some of it. And frankly, they know how to get it.

In fact, they'll get paid even if their client loses.... which is more than you can say for most musicians. So all they need to do is take out ads that make people feel cheated and entitled to retribution so they initiate lawsuits, then they make money while society gets to continually reel under an ever-decreasing zone of what you can do without being sued.

Didn't have my coffee yet. Can you tell?
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Originally Posted By: Pat Marr
Like the music business needs any more problems!

what do I think?
...

Didn't have my coffee yet. Can you tell?
wink


Yep! wink


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I haven't really listened or looked at the the sheet music, but it seems like, from what I have read, that this is not really infringement based on lyrics or melody. Probably this one will get overturned on appeal or the Gaye family (if they are smart) will settle off-record for a lot less.


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I'm still not convinced. Take the bass and drum groove away then there is almost no similarity.

If it would be that simple, then the heirs of the writes of Good Times could cash in also. Several tunes just copied were heavily inspired by the bass line of Good Times.
Rapper's Delight, Wot, Another One Bites the Dust were just the most successful ones. But there are quite a few more.

Actually if I've heard both songs separated by one or two other ones I might have heard the rhythm similarities but I would have never confused one with the other.

If this judgement is correct that judge just opened a giant can of worms.


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I agree with it does sound any more similar than plenty of other songs out there.

To me there seems to be a lot of crap being thrown around on the internet...what's new, right?

I've seen videos where the take part of a bunch of different songs, pitch sift them, change the tempo...basically altering a song, and THEN saying it sounds like another song. Well, no kidding! You could do that with so many songs in ANY genre of music!

Eight notes, only so many listenable rhythms and a decades of music...what do you think is going to happen?


Last edited by HearToLearn; 03/11/15 01:07 PM.

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Quote:
In the case of "Blurred Lines," it’s the rhythmic pattern. The drum pattern is the same on both of these songs, as is the cowbell pattern, and that's what determines the “vibe” that got Pharrell caught.

Quote:
The way it was arrived at was kind of weird.The jury reacted to the hubris and to the arrogance of Robin Thicke and Pharrell [the two had filed a pre-emptive suit claiming their composition's originality] and didn’t really take into consideration the way that these kinds of cases are usually thought through.

from the article A Copyright Expert Explains the ‘Blurred Lines’ Ruling link fixed

so i'm wondering: some daws have the ability to copy a groove will this decision impact that feature's use

Last edited by pghboemike; 03/12/15 09:53 AM.

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Mike,

At the time of making this post, your above link doesn't seem to be working. While I was searching for it, though, I was led to this article on Flavorwire. Interesting ...

pop songs and plagiarism

Regards,
Noel


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Noel,

That's an interesting article, thanks for sharing.
Plagiarism is an interesting subject for all us songwriters and should keep us all on our toes for when we get famous *wish* LOL

from ROG
Quote:
There's a video running on YouTube which has spliced the two songs together, so that it switches between them. Having listened to the songs like that, I think I might have agreed with the judgement.


Yeh that convinces me also, but separately it is not so clear especially, as my son said, you don't care about the song "Blurred lines" when looking at the video blush laugh
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In these days where so many ears focus on the rhythm more than the actual melody/lyrics - which is what the songwriters own - I guess that's all the jury needed to hear. So I'm assuming they were sued over the production/arrangement as producers of the record - which has a separate copyright. Not really clear on that. It's all so jumbled up it's amazing anyone understands copyright law. And I certainly doubt this was a jury of a musician/songwriter/producer/s actual "peers".

I think this is not good for music and if stands will open a giant can of worms.

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The "Na, Na Na Na..." part of The Beatles song "A Day In The Life" is identical to the "Na, Na Na Na..." lick in Deep Purple's "Hush Hush" but at a different speed. Neither song cuts the profit of the other, so therefore I don't think it's stealing, but a lawsuit can now happen.

The Beach Boys song "I Get Around" includes a quote on the organ that is identical to an ad for Spearmint gum that was airing on TV at the time ("Look for the spear and get chewing enjoyment").

Eric Clapton plays the melody of "Blue Moon" by Rogers and Hart as the opening of his solo in "Sunshine Of Your Love" (I always thought that was brilliant).

There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of jazz recordings where a soloist quotes another song in the melody.

IMHO if something as small as that doesn't infringe on the sale of the entity that was being quoted, it shouldn't go to court. Now it can.

Songwriters, beware.

Yep, they've opened a can of Giant Gippsland Worms.

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FWIW - I have just copyrighted the following chord progressions:

I-IV-V
I-II-V
I-VI-II-V

In all of the possible combinations such as major chords, minor chords, alt chords etc.

I think that I'm going to make trillions of dollars grin grin

Ps - it is not the lack of good musicianship that is killing the record/CD industry it's the lawyers that are killing the record/CD industry mad


OK, a random thought;
Why does toilet paper need a commercial? Who's not buying it?

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Originally Posted By: pghboemike
[quote]In the case of "Blurred Lines," it’s the rhythmic pattern. The drum pattern is the same on both of these songs, as is the cowbell pattern, and that's what determines the “vibe” that got Pharrell caught.


I wonder where they got this rhythm in the frst place, I guess half Africa could sue now and have a chance of winning. That makes blues, reggae, flamenco, folk music, georgian chants etc. all exposed to law suites. Stupid.

I forgot bluegrass, (sorry Bob) grin


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It's similar but not the same. If that's the new standard for copyright infringement then it's going to be really interesting where this goes. I tend to agree with the camp that this will get over turned in appeals.

Music is too mathematically finite (except for maybe Jazz) to make styles copyrighted which is what this lawsuit is about. If so then we are all in trouble seeing how we use a program that is based significantly on using specific musical styles. Of course then again how many of us are going to have a top 40 hit that will garner enough money to make it worthwhile for someone to sue.

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