The Song Remains The Same
Our resident Kiss92 DJ/ journo wants musicians to stop suing one another
So now Demi Lovato is being sued for stealing a song.
US indie act Sleigh Bells claim that the US pop star's 2015 hit Stars is way too similar to their 2010 tune Infinity Guitars, particularly the beat.
In the court document, they point out Stars' nearly-identical bass drum and hand clap combination as a particular point of contention.
This lawsuit comes hot on the heels of a similar case brought against Ed Sheeran just a couple of weeks ago.
Composer Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the classic Marvin Gaye sex jam Let's Get It On, asserted that Sheeran stole the melody, harmony and rhythm for his 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud.
Just last year, a jury ordered Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams to pay US$7.3 million (S$9.9 million) to Gaye's estate as their 2013 hit Blurred Lines is apparently a rip-off of Gaye's Got To Give It Up.
Legendary rockers Led Zeppelin have also been in court over a claim that they purloined a guitar riff for their glorious classic Stairway To Heaven.
You know what?
It's all bull.
Musicians have always stolen ideas, and they always will. And if you stop them, then music will stop progressing in any meaningful way.
Musicians create their own unique sound by basically copying other musicians and then putting their own spin on what they've learnt.
There would be no Mozart without Bach. The Beatles wouldn't have been The Beatles without Buddy Holly.
I don't know anything about rap but I assume that Run-D.M.C. was a huge influence on Jay Z.
Every genre of music has its own conventions, everything from beats and chord progressions to the types of instruments used.
Songs of the same genre all feel similar. That's what genres are: A group of artistic works that are more or less the same.
Nobody invents genres. They are created by a bunch of different artists all working together to improve and ultimately perfect a certain sort of thing that they like. It's a collaborative effort.
Who invented jazz? Who invented metal? Who invented disco?
Hundreds and thousands of people did.
If musicians start suing each other over bass drums and hand claps, music will freeze to death.
All that said, Sleigh Bells are actually tons cooler than Lovato, and you should really check them out.
Must-see MVs
COLDPLAY - A HEAD FULL OF DREAMS
Directed by US film-maker James Marcus Haney, the video starts off with Charlie Chaplin's monologue from 1940's The Great Dictator and the English rock band cycling through Mexico City towards Foro Sol, the venue of their most recent tour.
The documentary-like footage of fans singing along and waving their arms injects sentimentality, bringing back memories of the band's musical journey so far.
Authentic and moving, this MV will leave you in high spirits.
EXO - LOTTO
The K-pop boy band is back with their latest MV and we're all in for a big treat.
The members cement their "bad boy" image against a dark and gloomy setting and gorgeously-shot scenes of gambling and drinking.
Besides being a platform to showcase their good looks, the MV also shows off the boys' new, suave choreography.
TINASHE - SUPERLOVE
The US singer-songwriter takes it to the beach for her latest offering.
She wriggles her butt and flaunts her curves in a sexy red bikini, portraying a lifeguard who saves male swimmers from drowning.
Tinashe's hotness is bound to make male viewers drool but her smooth moves, choreographed by JaQuel Knight, will also leave female viewers swooning at the screen.
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