Electro-indie rock outfit Sleigh Bells have sued Demi Lovato over copyright infringement.
Last year, Lovato released a song called “Stars,” and the indie rock group weren’t too happy when they heard the track, which they alleged ripped off one of their most widely-known singles “Infinity Guitars.” If the name of the track or the band doesn’t sound familiar, rest assured, you’ve probably heard it in the background of an ATT-Samsung commercial or a movie trailer.
Alexis Krauss and Derek Miller, the duo behind the Sleigh Bells moniker, were quick to address their concerns with the 24-year-old pop star. They tweeted at the singer, but not much came of it other than producers Carl Falk and Rami Yacoub denying the claims.
.@ddlovato Demi Lovato flattered you guys sampled Infinity Guitars & Riot Rhythm for "Stars" but we were not contacted. Gotta clear those.
— SLEIGH BELLS (@sleighbells) November 2, 2015
Almost a year later, the duo has officially filed a lawsuit in the sate of California. The lawsuit, which names UMG Recordings, Lovato, Falk and Yacoub as defendants, alleges that the similarities between the two tracks aren’t a coincidence. It states:
“A comparison of the two songs reveals that, at the very least, the combination of the hand claps and bass drum, structured as 3 quarter beats and a rest, with the bass drum providing a counter-rhythm to the hand claps, is at least substantially similar in both works. This infringing material repeats throughout the Defendants’ song.”
But are the tracks really that similar? Once you listen to the recordings, you will notice a similar vibe. This is mostly attributed to the drums, which the lawsuit mentions; however, it’s actually really hard to win a copyright lawsuit over a drum beat.
Take James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” for example. That’s arguably one of the most popular drum beats in modern music, and it’s been sampled by the likes of Run-D.M.C., The Beastie Boys, N.W.A., Raekwon and LL Cool J. Despite its popularity, drummer Clyde Stubblefeld received no royalties from those samples.
It’ll be a tough case for Sleigh Bells to win, even if the songs do sound similar.
Check out the two songs below and tell us what you think. Did Demi Lovato rip off Sleigh Bells?