Wasn’t Ellen DeGeneres supposed to be popping Cristal this week, ushering in the conquering of yet another media platform? Yes! But hold off on the bubbly: First she’s gotta deal with a lawsuit alleging she’s a thief.
No, not a Lindsay Lohan kind of thief, but an intellectual property type. Ellen, who was just named the fourth judge on American Idol, is being sued for playing songs on her namesake show without paying for their licenses.
Universal Music Group, EMI, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group have all teamed up on the lawsuit aimed at Ellen’s show’s producers and distributors (but not, let’s be sure, Ellen herself), claiming that while they secured rights from music publishers, they actively opted not to get clearances from the labels — an exercise in the byzantine ownership structure of music.
From Britney to the Black Eyed Peas, Ellen’s show is synonymous with her in-house DJ spinning pop songs during the entrances of Ellen and her guests.
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Of course, the lawsuit is just about money, and negotiations that went sour. Because really, when Ellen plays your artists’ tunes for the masses, she’s doing you the favor.
John Murray
Did the author of this article even read the lawsuit? Does she/he understand how the music industry works? This is a simple issue…let me break it down for you. Music is a product. Products cost money. Ellen’s production company didn’t pay that money.
In terms of the last line of the “article,” we may all appreciate the music that Ellen brings, but just like Napster when it first started, her company is showcasing it illegally.
John Murray
By the way, this article is “free of an agenda:”
http://ozarksfirst.com/content/fulltext/?cid=184821
alan brickman
but why three years later?…..sounds like LAWYER is trying to justify his bonus payment….
alan brickman
she’s doing you a favor promoting your songs…
DeAnimator
It is only stealing if you steal a HARD COPY that takes money to produce. Besides, copyright infringement means you’re impeding on the original’s ability to make money. Which she isn’t doing. Record companies just need to stop being so greedy. As in, not charging 20 bucks for your shitty cd that cost 2 bucks to make and throwing a hissy fit about it when you’re already rolling in dough.
Wah wah. Someone asshole doesn’t have a gold and diamond encrusted toilet seat on their jet because someone downloaded an album. Life must be so hard for them. 🙁
Russ
@DeAnimator: @DeAnimator:
Couldn’t agree more with ya. Record companies are just pissed off cause the missed the boat on file sharing, the greed cost them a huge opportunity. That $2 dollar CD isn’t even necessary anymore and rather than embrace change they decide to go out and harass the very people that are still willing to pay the middle men for music. I give it 10 years before we see these large labels go under and we see artist-to-fan based delivery the norm.