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Joseph C Hinson

9 Years Ago

Is Copyright Petty Theft? (current Top 40 Song Vs. Tom Petty)

I had not heard the Sam Smith song until today since I don't listen to Top 40 radio, but there's no denying the similarity in the chorus between Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" and Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" written by Petty and Jeff Lynne in 1989. Here's a news article on it --

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-tom-petty-added-to-writing-credits-of-sam-smiths-hit-stay-with-me-20150126-column.html

I think it's a bit rotten for the Sam Smith spokesman to try to say they had never heard one of Tom Petty's most famous song at any point in their life. I still wonder if Petty gets royalties for the Chili Pepper's "Dani California."

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Greg Jackson

9 Years Ago

I've never heard of Sam Smith until yesterday when I caught a partial news broadcast concerning the incident, and I haven't heard his song either. There are a few songs I've heard that have similar guitar riffs and melodies, but I don't recall anyone getting partial credit for it.

 

Chuck De La Rosa

9 Years Ago

From the article: "Calling the resemblance "a complete coincidence," the rep added that the parties "came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of 'Stay With Me' along with Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips.""

Rotten maybe. Then again, no fight, no court case, no harm, no foul. All such cases should so quickly be resolved. It certainly doesn't hurt that Petty and Lynne are heavy weights in the world of popular music.

 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

Sam Smith settled and has to pay and Petty and Lynne get songwriting credits.

How about Fall Out Boy's use of the Munsters Theme and Suzanne Vega's Tom Diner? I'm guessing they purchased rights.

The funniest one is "Sting Earns $2,000 a Day Because Puff Daddy Didn’t Say ‘Please’ Back in 1997"
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/sting-puff-daddy-2000-a-day/?trackback=tsmclip

Why don't they just license the work upfront and save money?

 

Joseph C Hinson

9 Years Ago

It does happen, just doesn't always make the news. I guess since the Sam Smith song is up for a Grammy. I'm trying to remember the artist bio I read where he talked about "accidentally" writing a Chuck Berry song. If you remember the Suzanne Vega song "Tom's Diner," it was remixed without her approval. I believe she sued, but the remix became one of his biggest hits.

Probably the most famous incident happened when a singer was sued in the 1980s for writing a song that was a little too similiar to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through the Jungle." The songwriter? Former CCR singer John Fogerty.

Remember Bittersweet Symphony? I can't remember who wrote it, but they sampled a Stones song -- the muzak version, if I recall -- without asking. I believe Mick and keith came calling.

 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

Joseph - I know what you mean but there is a new one from Fall Out Boy that uses the "da da dada" part.



 

Chuck De La Rosa

9 Years Ago

Mick and Keith were probably more upset that their music was remixed as Mizak than it being ripped off without permission.

 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

This one samples the Munsters Theme. Helps to have a teenager in the car switching the radio from NPR to top 40 otherwise I'd be totally clueless.



Chuck I'm sure they approved and receive checks for the muzak.

 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

Of course the ultimate remix folks were Led Zeppelin: http://vimeo.com/14912890



 

David Bridburg

9 Years Ago

The most famous case was George Harrison's solo career song that had a rhythm guitar like
some famous RB singer's hit. I am no good with the titles. Paul McCartney had to testify.
Sir Paul said George was always making the mistake of copying other people's music. Paul
sank George, but good. McCartney would get desperate during his long down hill writing career.
He called George to ask him to pair up and write songs. George said, no way. Sent him packing.

If SIr Paul had stopped his career in time, before he truly sucked, he'd be a few billion richer. He
joined up with Michael Jackson just before scraping a perpetual bottom in song writing. Told Michael
of his plans to buy the Beatle's sheet music, which as we all know Jackson beat him out of the rights. Paul's loss
was easily $1 billion and the future investment profits on $1 billion, since 1988 or so.

But George's My Sweet Lord, I think that was the song, was the biggest case of all time. Not money wise
necessarily, but significance and news wise.

McCartney could have been writing with George instead of Micheal. She got lypo with your money, she
look like Michael with your money.

Dave

 

Joseph C Hinson

9 Years Ago

I'm not too worried about McCartney's financial situation. I think he and his heirs are doing just fine. As far as his songs with Michael, I was an 80s kid. "Say, Say, Say" was too cool! ("The Girl Is Mine" not so much.)

I'll have to look the Fall Out Boy song up when I get tonight. Not familiar with that song.

Sting got song writing credit when he sang back up on Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" in the 80s. When he goes "I want my... I want my MTV..." he's basically singing the refrain from "Don't Stand So Close To Me." Interesting about the P. Diddy bit because Sting performed with Diddy onstage at some awards show when he sang the chorus to "Every Breath You Take" while Diddy did his thing. Someone was saying Tom Petty and Sam Smith should do the same thing because both are up for a Grammy this year.

 

Gregory Andrus

9 Years Ago

Men at Work are also in the dog house with "Down Under", and owe a "potentially huge sum" in back royalties. The band members are effectively broke after this ruling.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment/music/articles/2010/02/04/1265151932588.html

As For the Verve Pipe and Bittersweet Symphony, they made millions on that song, then Richards/Jagger came calling, gave them Verve Pipe $2,000 dollar check and then went to the bank with the millions.

 

Edward Fielding

9 Years Ago

Joseph - just click on the play button to listen.

 

This discussion is closed.