14 Legal Battles Over Who Really Wrote Famous Songs | Slide Show | By Ace Vincent, Go2Tutors | Music history is rich with iconic hooks and unforgettable lyrics — yet behind many of these hits lie bitter legal showdowns over songwriting credit. When massive royalties are involved, disputes often turn personal, with courtroom drama revealing just how tangled the creative process can get.
From overlooked collaborators to heated plagiarism claims, the following legal cases pull back the curtain on the messier side of the music business.
“He’s So Fine” vs. “My Sweet Lord”
In 1976, George Harrison was taken to court by Bright Tunes Music, who claimed his hit My Sweet Lord sounded strikingly similar to He’s So Fine by The Chiffons — and not without reason. . . .
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“Blurred Lines” Copyright Clash
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams landed in legal trouble when Marvin Gaye’s family alleged their 2013 chart-topper lifted the vibe of Got to Give It Up. . . .
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“Surfin’ U.S.A.” vs. Chuck Berry
When Surfin’ U.S.A. dropped, Chuck Berry’s publisher noticed something familiar — the melody was almost identical to Sweet Little Sixteen. . . .
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When Creativity Meets the Courtroom
. . . In an age where music constantly references its past, the courts play an ever-larger role in deciding who truly deserves credit — and who just took a little too much inspiration.
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Read more here:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/14-legal-battles-over-who-really-wrote-famous-songs/
The Sound of Music Ownership
By Gadget
Today, your contract and not your talent decides if you get paid and how much. Too many creatives learn that too late. Behind every hit song lies a web of rights, contracts, and royalty streams that artists cannot afford to ignore. Whether you are an independent artist, producer, or a label, understanding how sound recordings are owned, licensed, and monetised is essential.
Once a piece of music is composed and fixed in a tangible form, its compositional copyright (also known as ‘the publishing’) is automatically established. The moment the song is recorded, a second copyright comes into existence, namely the sound recording copyright. (also known as ‘the Master). This unlocks a separate set of revenue streams artists, producers, and labels rely on.
When a track is recorded, the copyright in the sound recording usually belongs to the record label that made arrangements for the sound recording, unless the artist releases independently and owns the masters by virtue of having made the arrangements himself. This is a distinct copyright from the composition copyright, even if both were created by the same person.
This triggers a separate set of royalties when the sound recording is streamed, downloaded, broadcast, sold or used commercially. These include:
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Very important to read this full article:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/the-sound-of-music-ownership/