Plagiarising out loud?
Husband-wife team Faith Hill and Tim
McGraw have been named in a plagiarism
lawsuit by Australian songwriters Sean Carey
and Beau Golden, along with Sony/ATV
Music, its co-writers Ed Sheeran, Johnny
McDaid, Amy Wadge and Steve Mac, plus
several associated publishers. Subject of the
suit filed Jan. 10 in New York Federal Court
by Carey and Golden is the Hill-McGraw hit
The Rest Of Our Life, which the Aussies claim
“blatantly copied” their 2014 composition
When I Found You, a success Down Under by
Jasmine Rae.
According to the court filing, “The copying
is, in many instances, verbatim, note-for-note
copying of original elements of the Song
(When I Found You), and is obvious to the
ordinary observer,” and the plaintiffs are
seeking $5 million in damages, along with an
injunction to block its further release. Their
attorney, Richard Busch, is no stranger to
Sheeran, who
was named
in an earlier
$20 million suit Busch filed over the song
Photograph, sounding too much like another,
titled Amazing, which was settled, with the
correct writers being added to the credits.
Reportedly, in this latest dispute, Tom
Holland, an Australian Sony staffer, is named
and though he’s co-writer Jasmine’s boyfriend,
she is not involved in the case. The suit says
Holland presented Rae’s recording to Sony,
allege dly trying to gain international exposure
for her. Apparently unaware of the Australian
single, Faith and Tim recorded the tune,
featuring it on their first-ever collaborative
album via Arista Records recently.
Beside damages, Carey and Golden seek a
percentage of profits in addition to a running
royalty rate, plus payment of court costs and
legal fees. Stay tuned...
Git Rich or die
tryin’
Entrepreneur John Rich of the Big & Rich duo
is on a roll, having just launched Redneck Riviera
Whiskey in partnership with Eastside Distillery,
officially Jan. 6, he and vocal partner “Big”
Kenny Alphin announced Jan. 12, their brand
new GIT Big $ Rich Casino game, created in
collaboration with Proxima Brands, available in
digital app stores and free downloads. Redneck
Riviera is a copyright title of Rich’s, and consists
of footwear, apparel and beach accessories, plus
two honky-tonks: Redneck Riviera Vegas, on the
strip near Bally’s Las Vegas, and the upcoming
Redneck Riviera Nashville, slated for a spring
opening on Lower Broad. Among their biggest
charters are Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy) and
Lost in This Moment. Their new casino-style
game offers loyalty points players can cash in
for Big & Rich product and a brand prize of a
VIP visit to one of their concerts. As Alphin says,
“Let’s play. We are excited about the debut of
our casino game and want everyone to GIT Big
$ Rich coins that will have you playing our game
for hours and hours. We look forward to meeting
the player that wins the ‘Meet Big & Rich’ contest,
too. Now, go get this sucker and let’s rock that
spin button.” Eastside, a Tennessee LLC, will
manage Redneck Riviera Whiskey, promote
sales and any follow-up products. Initially they will
focus on the Southeast, with a roll-out across the
country in time to come. For further information,
check out www.redneckriviera.com.
Live and die in
Dixie?
Dolly Parton upset many fans by announcing the
removal of the word ‘Dixie’ from her Dixie Stampede
dinner shows in Branson and Pigeon Forge. From
now on it will be known as ‘Dolly Parton’s Stampede’
the superstar singer announced Jan 15.
Parton said in a statement that it is changing
attitudes to the word ‘Dixie’ that was behind the
name change and that it “will remove any confusion
or concerns about our shows”
FEBRUARY 2018 - cmp 5