Do you guys have any firsthand knowledge of the theft and/or plagiarism that goes on in the music industry? Are there any artists you think plagiarize and/or steal and manage to get away with it? Please share.
Plagiarism/theft in the music industry
by Anonymous | reply 110 | October 25, 2020 12:55 PM |
No, because I was born this way.
by Anonymous | reply 1 | September 15, 2014 7:38 PM |
In Piece of My Heart, reference is made to the "influence" that the Richie Valens' song La Bamba had on on 60s hit Twist & Shout.
by Anonymous | reply 2 | September 15, 2014 8:29 PM |
My sweet lord, I know not of what you speak.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | September 15, 2014 8:31 PM |
Eh, who ya gonna call?
by Anonymous | reply 4 | September 15, 2014 8:41 PM |
Two words:Lady Gaga
by Anonymous | reply 6 | September 15, 2014 9:23 PM |
Just google "plagiarism + music," OP. There are tons of side-by-side examples of this online.
10 Famous Cases of Alleged Music Plagiarism
by Anonymous | reply 7 | September 15, 2014 9:24 PM |
I have no absolutely idea what this thread is about.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | September 15, 2014 9:28 PM |
Me neither!
by Anonymous | reply 9 | September 15, 2014 9:28 PM |
Madonna slaps her name on songs she didn't write
by Anonymous | reply 10 | September 15, 2014 9:33 PM |
R8 - Can you elaborate on ALW's alleged plagiarism? I've never been able to find out what it was about.
by Anonymous | reply 11 | September 15, 2014 9:37 PM |
Madonna ALWAYS write her songs.Can't say the same about Michael Jackson,he was very dumb.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | September 15, 2014 9:38 PM |
R11, you can start with his Wiki entry and search the usual tube site for other examples. But they only scratch the surface.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | September 15, 2014 9:49 PM |
In fairness, there are only so many riffs/breaks available in particular genres.
It's possible to work on a piece and end up unwittingly copying another work. The Art of Noise once spent hours and hours in the studio, only to come up with the riff to Peter Gunn.
Many older artists actually welcome it because they know they'll be paid for it. That's why many agree to the usage. They have the option of refusal or payment (unless they've lost the rights).
by Anonymous | reply 14 | September 16, 2014 1:47 AM |
"Madonna ALWAYS write her songs."
Uh.....no. And I hate Michael Jackson but he wrote Billie Jean by himself and that was much better than anything Madonna has ever written.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | September 16, 2014 2:02 AM |
I am no fan of ALW but he stole no more musical themes than Puccini himself did. I love Fanciulla and Music of the Night does not directly lift the theme. It is a lovely variation on it.
And as for Jerry Herman yes the opening few measures of Sunflower are exactly the same as Hello Dolly. But after those measures Hello Dolly takes off and flies when at the same moment Sunflower dies a quick horrible death.
Herman was robbed of an enormous amount of 60s' money when out of desperation he agreed to settle. The writer of Sunflower became very wealthy for writing a truly lousy piece of drek.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | September 16, 2014 2:02 AM |
led zeppelin and other brits are the worst
by Anonymous | reply 17 | September 16, 2014 2:46 AM |
Patsy Cline, supposedly most of her good songs were stolen with little to no compensation given to writers.
by Anonymous | reply 18 | September 16, 2014 2:49 AM |
The Imperial what?
by Anonymous | reply 19 | September 16, 2014 3:00 AM |
Does anyone believe Lady Gaga writes her own songs?I believe she is capable of writing lyrics (unlike Madonna) but I just don't know if she's writing the songs that she has her name on (if that makes sense).
by Anonymous | reply 20 | September 16, 2014 3:01 AM |
RE Madonna. A friend of mine is a HUGE HUGE writer, and he's written with Madonna, and had a big hit with her. He said that she wasn't very pleasant or nice to work with, but she wasn't the kind of writer to leave the room and let the other writers do the heavy lifting. She kept him and a third writer in a hotel room for ages, trying to fix ONE LINE that she didn't like. No, she didn't come up with the line, but you've got to give her credit for hanging in there and trying to be present. I'm also a writer -- country -- and there have been a gazillion situations where parts of mu songs turned up in other songs. It happens all the time. Part of it is, though, because we all play our songs for each other, and it comes out in our unconscious. I have one great hook blatantly stolen from me, though, which I know was deliberate. I don't sue, and no one who wants to make a living in the industry usually does. You brand yourself as being difficult, and someone that no one will want to work with, so you grin and bear it.
by Anonymous | reply 21 | September 16, 2014 3:08 AM |
The Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are notorious for ripping people off, eg Ry Cooder, Gram Parsons. Mick Taylor, one of the greatest guitarists ever, quit because of songwriting credits.
by Anonymous | reply 22 | September 16, 2014 6:20 AM |
R22
"Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are notorious for ripping people off"
by Anonymous | reply 23 | September 16, 2014 6:34 AM |
I don't know if Hans Zimmer did it unconsciously, or on purpose, but Nothing to Forgive (End Credits) and Solomon from '12 Years a Slave' are a rip off from Mulholland Drive's Ending/Love Theme.
Angelo Badalamenti should sue Hans Zimmer for plagiarism, but i guess he is far too discreet. He is far superior to him, anyway!
by Anonymous | reply 24 | March 8, 2015 1:55 PM |
"Jealous Lover" by Charles Williams, which was utilized in the opening credits of Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT, sounds very similar to ALW's "The Heart is Slow to Learn" from the proposed '90s PHANTOM sequel, which then was revised and retitled "Our Kind of Love" for ALW's soccer musical THE BEAUTIFUL GAME in the early 2000s, then was again revised and retitled "Love Never Dies" for what eventually became the PHANTOM sequel in 2010.
by Anonymous | reply 25 | August 23, 2018 5:44 PM |
Interesting thread
by Anonymous | reply 26 | August 23, 2018 7:52 PM |
It's called "sampling" and the courts found in our favor!
by Anonymous | reply 27 | August 23, 2018 7:58 PM |
"Make Em Laugh" from Singing in the Rain is a direct rip off of "Be A Clown" by Cole Porter. I don't know how they got away with it.
by Anonymous | reply 28 | August 23, 2018 7:59 PM |
Oasis ripping off The Doors' "Five to One". About as blatant as it gets.
by Anonymous | reply 29 | August 23, 2018 8:16 PM |
This isn't plagiarism, but some songwriters keep recycling the same song over and over again. Listen to these three songs on youtube:
Kelly Clarkson - Anytime
Alexandra Burke - Overcome
Anastasia - You'll Never Be Alone
It's the exact same song that the guy who wrote it sold to three different singers, under three different titles.
by Anonymous | reply 30 | August 23, 2018 8:22 PM |
Speaking of Kelly Clarkson, her "Already Gone" and Beyonce's "Halo" (both written by OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder) are practically the same tune although he denies it.
by Anonymous | reply 31 | August 23, 2018 8:50 PM |
john grant - pale green ghosts. an entire section of prelude in c# minor by rachmaninov has been used and idk why this guy gets away with saying he was 'inspired' by rach. no, he stole from rach.
tori amos also recorded an lp where she basically just played (badly) mussorgsky's work. no idea why it's considered 'her' record.
disgusting, unimaginative creatures who have contributed nothing to art, these people.
by Anonymous | reply 32 | August 23, 2018 9:27 PM |
R27, with sampling you have to acknowledge the writers of the song you are sampling....if not than it's just ripping someone off
by Anonymous | reply 33 | August 24, 2018 1:29 AM |
[quote]john grant - pale green ghosts. an entire section of prelude in c# minor by rachmaninov has been used and idk why this guy gets away with saying he was 'inspired' by rach. no, he stole from rach.
Stole from Rach? Well, I never!
by Anonymous | reply 34 | August 24, 2018 1:32 AM |
I've often wondered if they'll ever run out of songs to write. I mean, there's only so many keys on a piano. I'm continually amazed when a new tune I've never heard before pops up.
by Anonymous | reply 35 | August 24, 2018 2:22 AM |
"What's Going On" by 4 Non Blondes is a slowed down, rock version of "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Bruno Mars doesn't rip off songs directly but the signature sounds of various artists.
"My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison is a rip off of "He's So Fine." I have a hard time believing that he didn't remember that song or didn't realize how close his song resembled the Chirelles'.
As for Ghostbusters, Huey Lewis can go fuck himself. He lifted that bass line from Pop Muzik.
The Pink Panther theme ripped off that famous saxophone riff from another song. I wish I could remember the name, but it was a (now obscure) big band song from only a few years earlier (late 1950s, possibly early 1960s). When I heard it, I lost so much respect for Henry Mancini. Because the internet sucks now, it's virtually impossible to track down the song I'm talking about but if a brilliant sleuth can track it down and post it, that would be great.
by Anonymous | reply 36 | August 24, 2018 3:01 AM |
Everything has been done, done and done. We need new instruments for a music revolution.
by Anonymous | reply 37 | August 24, 2018 3:14 AM |
The Bangles' "Manic Monday" and Prince's "1999" sound very similar. They're both written by Prince. Did he plagiarize himself?
by Anonymous | reply 38 | August 24, 2018 3:30 AM |
[quote]"My Sweet Lord" by George Harrison is a rip off of "He's So Fine." I have a hard time believing that he didn't remember that song or didn't realize how close his song resembled [bold]the Chirelles'.[/bold]
Is that a portmanteau of the Chiffons (who did record "He's So Fine") and the Shirelles (who did not record "He's So Fine")? Clever.
by Anonymous | reply 39 | August 24, 2018 6:44 AM |
People who steal should be shot
by Anonymous | reply 40 | August 24, 2018 7:14 AM |
Les Miserables composer, Claude Michel-Schonburg, almost steals directly from Puccini. The humming chorus from Madame Butterfly is clearly the basis for Bring Him Home. (which is actually the only memorable tune from that musical). I can only guess that he, like ALW in all of his plagiarisms, imagined that no one would notice.
by Anonymous | reply 41 | August 24, 2018 9:21 AM |
Listen to the openings of:
La Grange (ZZ Top) Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum) Fried Hockey Boogie (Canned Heat)
by Anonymous | reply 42 | August 24, 2018 9:29 AM |
La Grange (ZZ Top)
Spirit in the Sky (Norman Greenbaum)
Fried Hockey Boogie (Canned Heat)
by Anonymous | reply 43 | August 24, 2018 9:30 AM |
Pretty much everyone in the music industry steals/borrows/is "influenced" to some degree.
Next question.
by Anonymous | reply 44 | August 24, 2018 9:32 AM |
Fantasy-Earth, Wind & Fire to Zep’s Stairway...
by Anonymous | reply 45 | February 19, 2019 3:15 AM |
R18 Bullshit, Patsy did not write her songs, but she didn't steal them, either. Her songs were written by some of the best songwriters in Nashville and beyond, Hank Cocharn, Harland Howard, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, just to name a few, she even recorded songs written by Gertrude Berg and Cole Porter. These were not hayseed songwriters whose work could be stolen, they were already established in the industry.
by Anonymous | reply 46 | February 19, 2019 3:31 AM |
Styx were so obvious
by Anonymous | reply 47 | February 19, 2019 3:32 AM |
Didn't Lady Gaga ripoff Linda Perry?
by Anonymous | reply 48 | February 19, 2019 3:35 AM |
Why would anyone rip off the talentless Linda Perry?
by Anonymous | reply 49 | February 19, 2019 3:37 AM |
Well she may be "talentless" but she has written big hit songs
by Anonymous | reply 50 | February 19, 2019 3:46 AM |
I still think Bruno Mars and Uptown Funk was carefully stolen from several different songs from The Time.
by Anonymous | reply 51 | February 19, 2019 4:29 AM |
[quote]"What's Going On" by 4 Non Blondes is a slowed down, rock version of "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Holy shit, no wonder I hated that song.
by Anonymous | reply 52 | February 19, 2019 4:43 AM |
Pharrell Williams
by Anonymous | reply 53 | February 19, 2019 9:26 AM |
The Rolling Stones’ “Anybody Seen My Baby” has an interesting story of “borrowing” from another song:
[quote]Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song also carries writing credits for k.d. lang and Ben Mink. The song is known for its chorus, which sounds strikingly similar to lang's 1992 hit song "Constant Craving". Jagger and Richards claimed to have never heard the song before, only having discovered the similarity prior to the Stones' release. As Richards reported in his autobiography Life, "My daughter Angela and a friend were at Redlands and I was playing the record and they start singing this totally different song over it. They were listening to k.d. lang's 'Constant Craving.' It was Angela and her friend that recognized it." The two gave Lang credit, along with her co-writer Mink. Lang said she was "completely honored and flattered" by receiving the songwriting credit.
by Anonymous | reply 54 | February 19, 2019 9:42 AM |
I used to get a “ca plane pour moi” by Plastic Bertrand vibe when hearing the Strokes’ The Modern Age, especially the demo version. Also parts of their song 12:51 remind me of “the Lion Sleeps Tonight” by the Tokens.
by Anonymous | reply 55 | April 23, 2019 7:11 PM |
R50 hardly.
by Anonymous | reply 56 | April 23, 2019 7:17 PM |
All stolen from "Shake Your Hips" by Slim Harpo.
by Anonymous | reply 57 | April 23, 2019 7:27 PM |
Bob Dylan has a long history of plagiarism: music, writing, and paintings. Google it. This is just one example...
by Anonymous | reply 58 | April 23, 2019 7:38 PM |
Bob Dylan is an asshole and treated his women badly, especially Sarah who was beaten and almost died. His original music is brilliant. He didn't have to steal.
Dylan started stealing other people's work while he was still in high school. He won an award for a moving piece about soldier's account of about the Civil War. Problem was, he stole it from a REAL Civil War soldier.
He then graduated to stealing the songs of fellow troubadours in Greenwich Village. Now he has moved on to stealing art and speeches.
Here is an article about Dylan's plagiarism with his paintings, specifically "Asia Series."
Why does he do it? Is it pathogical?
by Anonymous | reply 60 | April 23, 2019 7:50 PM |
I like Pharrell Williams, but come on, don't steal from Marvin Gaye. Is Marvin Gaye the most ripped off artist?
by Anonymous | reply 61 | April 23, 2019 7:54 PM |
I can’t stand that “Rebel with a Kickstand” song that copies “Please, Mr. Postman” even though the original songwriters are credited.
by Anonymous | reply 62 | April 23, 2019 7:57 PM |
Wasn't there talk that Dylan ripped off Blowin in the Wind from someone else?
by Anonymous | reply 63 | April 24, 2019 3:15 AM |
Oh GOD, the Madonna deranged brigade with their fucking delusional lying. I've certainly bashed her but she has had books written where all her collaborators have contributed to the book and all said she writes almost all the lyrics and melody/bridge. It's called Like An Icon. Some writers who have written for big names and written huge hits say she is the real deal when it comes to songwriting. All said she was a brilliant lyricist. Her first band just put out a doc which backed this up.
So, I believe them over some delusional fucking insane fraus and kweens. Some of you need meds or dick or both. Oh, as for the "insider", SURE, JAN!
by Anonymous | reply 64 | April 24, 2019 3:22 AM |
Melissa Etheridge ripped off the rhythm and chords of Journey's "Lovin,' Touchin,'" for her "I am the Only One."
by Anonymous | reply 65 | April 24, 2019 3:22 AM |
r64 pretends to be an unbiased observer but reads Madonna books all day
by Anonymous | reply 66 | April 24, 2019 3:51 AM |
R66 Ignores facts and doesn't pretend. You can't deny those facts or are you going to make up a "country" music insider persona again? Or maybe a old school motown songwriter who heard from the cousin of a friend who wrote with Madonna (of course she was not pleasant, right?).
You are all so fucking pathetic and laughable.
You vs legends of songwriters, some of the biggest in the biz, who corroborate her. Hmmmmmmmm........
by Anonymous | reply 67 | April 24, 2019 4:07 AM |
Huh? I never pretended to be a country music insider and I don't even like country music. I just think it's funny you are claiming to be unbiased ("I've certainly bashed her....") when it's clear you are a super fan. Like what you like, but don't lie and pretend to be something you aren't.
by Anonymous | reply 68 | April 24, 2019 4:10 AM |
Wrong Impression by Natalie Imbruglia always reminded me of a cross between Cocteau Twins’ Iceblink Luck and the Sundays’ Love (maybe “Goodbye,” or one of their singles off Blind) but that’s kind of why I really enjoy the song. Who knew she actually had good taste.
by Anonymous | reply 69 | June 4, 2019 3:08 AM |
DL fave Stevie Nicks supposedly had to shovel a shitload of money at some obscure singer-songwriter, after plagiarizing much of the song "Sara" from her.
And don't get los muchachos from Los Lobos started re: what Paul Simon allegedly stole from them for the "Graceland" album.
by Anonymous | reply 70 | June 4, 2019 3:37 AM |
Ice, Ice, Baby...
Queen had to sue.
by Anonymous | reply 71 | June 4, 2019 4:35 AM |
r71 According to Vanilla Ice, he bought the rights to the song outright.
by Anonymous | reply 73 | June 4, 2019 6:19 AM |
I said "supposedly," R72.
But thanx for the clarification.
by Anonymous | reply 74 | June 4, 2019 6:59 AM |
Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress and T.Rex’s Bang a Gong and also Semi Charmed Life always reminded me of 2 Princes.
by Anonymous | reply 75 | June 24, 2019 4:35 AM |
Don’t look at me, white bitches
by Anonymous | reply 76 | June 24, 2019 4:55 AM |
Ok all 3 of these songs are spot on Peter Gabriel: First Take Me To the Top by World Party which is very reminiscent of Big Time. This next one is that song from this awful Extra Refreshers gum commercial where the guy is clearly channeling Gabriel’s vocals to where it’s absolutely laughable. The third is arguable cause it gets tons of Sting comparisons as well and that’s “In the House of Stone and Light” by Martin Page.
by Anonymous | reply 77 | September 28, 2019 9:44 AM |
Nice try, BeyOnMyWayToJailForPlagiarizinCe at R76
by Anonymous | reply 78 | September 28, 2019 10:01 AM |
Not the whole catalog, r5 -- esp. their later stuff.
This is one of my favorites.
by Anonymous | reply 79 | September 28, 2019 10:05 AM |
R21 That reminds of when Madonna admitted that Pharrell Williams made her cry when they worked on "Hard Candy." I'm assuming that she tried to pull that 'unpleasantness and difficulty' with him, and he wasn't having ANY of it.
Any other anonymous stories that you could share?
by Anonymous | reply 80 | September 28, 2019 10:11 AM |
Also, I'm a huge Madonna fan but it's obvious when she decided to "write" her own songs.
by Anonymous | reply 81 | September 28, 2019 10:14 AM |
How do you prove that a song was plagiarized? It's one thing saying 'Song X reminds me of Song Y', but for a judge to decide whether someone is a plagiarist or not, surely there must be certain objective criteria? As you might have guessed, I'm clueless when it comes to music. How do you measure similarity between songs? Is it done by computers these days?
by Anonymous | reply 82 | September 28, 2019 12:02 PM |
Theft also happens in the gospel music industry, too. Singer/songwriter Inez Andrews had her songs stolen by singer Sallie Martin. In her case, she was naive about getting her songs copyrighted. Saavy Sallie took advantage of that, and put her name on Inez's songs.
Inez talks about that at 0:50.
by Anonymous | reply 83 | September 28, 2019 12:34 PM |
Believe it or not, George Harrison was actually trying to write an original song that would use "Oh, Happy Day" by Eddie Hawkins as a template when he inadvertently ended up plagiarizing "He's So Fine," a pop song by the Chiffons from some 7 years earlier.
At least that's what he claimed when he testified in open court during his plagiarism suit in the 70's. He even used a guitar to show the judge exactly how he ended up composing the song.
The judge actually believed his story, but he also agreed that "My Sweet Lord," intentional or not, was a rewritten version of "He's So Fine," and Harrison ended up losing the suit.
by Anonymous | reply 84 | September 28, 2019 12:46 PM |
I'm surprised no one's mentioned Sam Smith's "Stay With Me" ripping off the chorus of "I Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty. Smith alleged he never heard that song before. Sure, Jan, as they say.
by Anonymous | reply 85 | September 28, 2019 12:59 PM |
Sheryl Crowe could not have been more blatant with her stealing of a great 70's song.
by Anonymous | reply 86 | September 28, 2019 1:20 PM |
Don’t look at me
by Anonymous | reply 87 | September 28, 2019 2:31 PM |
r85, I thought it was BS Sam settled with him. It is 3 notes descending. That is the only similarity. That's not copy-rightable.
by Anonymous | reply 88 | September 28, 2019 3:28 PM |
Sam Smith also ripped off Earth Song by MJ for that James Bond song he did. Fat bastard.
by Anonymous | reply 89 | September 28, 2019 3:30 PM |
"Hello, I Love" by The Door is a knock off of "All Day and All of the Night" by The Kinks
by Anonymous | reply 90 | September 28, 2019 3:48 PM |
Ed Sheeran is the biggest plagiarist in music. He steals EVERYTHING!
He's blatantly ripped-off so many songwriters that the list is too long to go into. He had to add the writers of "No Scrubs" to the credits of his biggest hit "Shape of You" to avoid being sued. I don't know why Sia didn't sue him for that song, because it's a copy of Cheap Thrills.
by Anonymous | reply 91 | September 28, 2019 4:29 PM |
R55: "Ca plane pour moi" itself "borrows" from Elvis Motello's "Jet Boy, Jet Girl."
by Anonymous | reply 92 | September 28, 2019 6:44 PM |
Even Sondheim is guilty. No One is Alone is a slow downed version of The Candy Man from Willy Wonka. .
by Anonymous | reply 95 | September 28, 2019 8:23 PM |
Sugar Don't Bite sounds like Papa Don't Preach mixed with Pink Cadillac, specifically Natalie Cole's version.
by Anonymous | reply 98 | September 29, 2019 3:49 AM |
Sugar Don't Bite came out before both Papa Don't Preach and Pink Cadillac.
by Anonymous | reply 99 | September 29, 2019 3:33 PM |
Cocteau Twins are one of my very faves and I worship the group Liz Fraser walks on, voice of an absolute Goddess, but there’s something about Fotzepolitic that reminds me so much of the Pretenders “2,000 Miles” especially after hearing it so much around the holidays. That being said speaking of holidays nobody has ever brought new life into a rendition of a classic the way Cocteaus did to Frosty the Snowman even if Liz is forced to finally sing in English.
by Anonymous | reply 100 | December 7, 2019 8:47 AM |
The Mother We Share by Chvrchs reminds me of the Knifes We Share Our Mother’s Health.
by Anonymous | reply 102 | September 19, 2020 6:04 AM |
R90, I always thought that too! My dad used to play both The Doors and The Kinks in the car all the time as a kid, and even at that young age I could tell that about "Hello, I Love You" and "All Day and All of the Night".
by Anonymous | reply 103 | October 25, 2020 8:48 AM |
I'm certain Madonna wrote this:
I don't like cities
But I like New York
Other places make me feel like a dork
Los Angeles is for people who sleep
Paris and London, baby you can keep
Other cities always make me mad
Other places always make me sad
No other city ever made me glad
Except New York
I love New York
I love New York
I love New York
If you don't like my attitude Then you can F off Just go to Texas Isn't that where they golf? New York is not for little pussies who scream If you can't stand the heat Then get off my street Get off of my street Get off my street You get off of my street
by Anonymous | reply 104 | October 25, 2020 10:46 AM |
Black Eyed Peas. Every single melody is borrowed. Shakira also got away with borrowing from Eternal Flame and some Beatles song for ‘Underneath Your Clothes’ which I kind of love
by Anonymous | reply 106 | October 25, 2020 12:15 PM |
John Cage plagiarized me with 4' 33"! I demand a songwriting credit.
by Anonymous | reply 107 | October 25, 2020 12:24 PM |
No, I didn't, Beyotch. I stole it from "The Sound of Silence."
by Anonymous | reply 109 | October 25, 2020 12:28 PM |
Everybody steals from each other.
by Anonymous | reply 110 | October 25, 2020 12:55 PM |