Industry Liabilities Blog

   In the music industry, there have been many court cases and lawsuits recently, and some of them are quite interesting. I chose to write about 3 of these cases:

1. Jerry Heller vs. the producers of the motion picture “Straight Outta Compton”

2. The estate of Marvin Gaye vs. Robin Thicke & Pharell Williams

3. Kesha vs. Dr. Luke

   When the motion picture “Straight Outta Compton” was being developed and shot, Ruthless Records co-founder Jerry Heller was never contacted to be involved in the making of the movie. Heller’s portrayal in the movie “was not accurate” he says, and the actor that played him was told not to contact him during the making of the movie. Heller obtained a screener copy of “Straight Outta Compton” and went over it with a fine-toothed comb……….… and two lawyers!!! Heller found over 20 flaws in the movie’s storyline, and is suing for “the picture that was painted of me” It is a historical story, that of N.W.A., and Jerry Heller is a part of that story, and N.W.A.’s success. To leave him out of it is just plain wrong.

   The song “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, Pharell Williams, and T.I. was a big hit with “all the kids” when it came out. But for older music lovers, they hated the song when they heard it because it very heavily reminded them of Marvin Gaye’s hit song “Got to Give It Up”. Soon there was a lawsuit from Gaye’s children, next Thicke & Williams fired back with a suit of their own against the Gaye estate. When the dust settled, the estate of Marvin Gaye was awarded $7.3 million dollars. My opinion? The ruling was just, “Blurred Lines” is similar enough to be infringement. Robin Thicke has another song (“Million Dolla Baby”) that is “similar” to Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man”, they should sue the pants off him for that one too!!! (Imagine a 3-strike rule for repeated sampling???)

Hear the 2 songs for yourself!!! http://www.whosampled.com/sample/16230/Robin-Thicke-Million-Dolla-Baby-Marvin-Gaye-Trouble-Man/

   Pop star Kesha has made allegations against her producer and owner of the record label she’s signed to, Dr. Luke. She claims abuse from him of every type, financial discrepancies, and even the use of a date rape drug on her. I think he’s had too much control over all aspects of her life, even her reality show (thought this guy was a record producer). It’s like a new version of Dr. Eugene Landy & Brian Wilson, or Colonel Tom Parker & Elvis Presley, where the star in question has that manager/handler that after some time and increased success, begin to manage and handle way more than they should.

References

Jerry Heller Talks new N.W.A. Movie, His Lawsuit, Eazy E & More. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnPjhvzMv_k

Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" Copied Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up," Jury Awards 7.3 Million. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wj86CJMQbKE

Kesha's Allegations Against Dr. Luke Rattle the Music Industry. (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zBx15j5xmE

Exclusive: Will Music Infringement Lawsuits Become Rampant? (n.d.). Retrieved February 07, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULPZW2I3lHk