Dua Lipa "Levitating" infringement lawsuit

[JeezyMcNuggles]

TMZ: "...the beat comes across as damn near the same".

But, yes, it sounds like Dua and co. might have a hard time defending that one in court.

They even have the same lyrical rhythm and rhyme scheme.

The least they couldve done was ryhyme different suffixes.

 

[Wood and Wire]

I think one of the most toe curlingy awkward, and embarrassing things I've seem in recent years, is Dua Lipa's episode of "Song Exploder" on Netflix.

The whole series (and also the podcast) is terrific, and inspiring.

With artists as varied as Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Nine Inch Nails taking a deep dive into their writing, and creative process, and several episodes featuring Flood & Alan Moulder showing exactly what real record producers do.

And then we come to Dua Lipa's episode, where a large team of writers try to negotiate their way around exactly what it is they all do, or what this half baked, paper-thin idea by committee means on a personal level.

Meanwhile, poor old Dua is reduced to politely smiling, and offering niceties about the whole experience, before the episode has to deal with the elephant in the room, that is the sample the song is based around. And now the whole thing gets derailed having to acknowledge that they've basically copied the whole idea from "Your Woman" by White Town, which itself is based around an obscure sample from a 1930's recording.

At this point, the viewer (and apparently the participants) would rather the episode were actually about "Your Woman" by White Town, because it's a vastly more interesting, and inspiring personal story about an Indian kid recording a track on consumer gear, in his bedroom, sending it in to a Sunday morning radio slot, and it getting picked up by the national station, put into rotation, and becoming a smash hit.

Dua is a legit superstar, and a terrific performer, but she really needs to develop as a songwriter in her own right.

 

[lermgalieu]

she really needs to develop as a songwriter in her own right

Not sure she needs to do that, as last I checked she is making huge cash and touring the world. I agree that she relies heavily on writers, but she is also quite young. She has a fantastic tone to her voice and seems to have input at least into the stylistic direction of everything, and I tend to like her stuff more than most pop drivel.

 

[turf3]

I have to say the idea of this mall music involving a lengthy agonizing songwriting process amuses me, when songs like "Crazy" could be written in an evening over beers at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

 

[sonojono]

Not Duas fault but the producers. This is why Producers need to do their own sampling...

 

[Wood and Wire]

Not sure she needs to do that, as last I checked she is making huge cash and touring the world. I agree that she relies heavily on writers, but she is also quite young. She has a fantastic tone to her voice and seems to have input at least into the stylistic direction of everything, and I tend to like her stuff more than most pop drivel.

But in the long run, I think she's going to need to develop as a writer, not least in terms of "credibility" , but in terms of having a more secure income, a deeper connection to the songs, and by extension the audience, and generally being more artistically fulfilled.

She's come a long way from being a teenager uploading acoustic cover versions to YouTube, but it was always clear that she was snapped up on that basis, and surrounded by a team.

It's only a matter of time before she outgrows that way of working, but whilst she's still having big hits, and is what the industry considers the "right" side of 30, she doesn't need to upset the apple cart...

Unless her current team keep dropping her in legal hot water, or diluting the song writing credits further, by relying on samples, and outright plagiarism.

 

[Winslow]

And now the whole thing gets derailed having to acknowledge that they've basically copied the whole idea from "Your Woman" by White Town, which itself is based around an obscure sample from a 1930's recording.

That was one of the most interesting, under-the-radar, out-of-nowhere songs of its time.

 

[txhawaii]

12 notes. Good luck. Nothing against an obscure bottom market cracker "reggae" band from Florida who's very essence is copying and cultural appropriation, even their name is a cheeky take on another more popular band. Good luck. If you win (settle) maybe you'll get better gigs for 3 months.

One thing that's a certainty, nobody on DL's team ever heard that band or that song.

I think that is an unfair categorization of this Florida band. Are you ready to claim Elvis, Jerry Lee Louis, KC and the Sunshine Band, The Beatles, SRV, Eminem, and hundreds if not thousands of white artists stole from black culture and sound? Of course, they likely did but its still unfair to think this one band is guilty of that sin.

I also think claiming DL's team didn't know isn't all that correct either. I could be wildly off but I would be they have very little to do with the base creation of a song as they do indeed have teams or corporations working to fine tune their songs, lyrics, and beats to meet today's checklists to get airtime with the ultimate money of of commercial licensing.

It is very easy to think a low level creator would hear the lesser band and "borrow" that particular sound and that travels up the creative line with little to know knowledge of where it came from.

So its quite likely DL never heard the original nor anyone in her direct circle. But never the less here we are.

 

[turf3]

...they have very little to do with the base creation of a song as they do indeed have teams or corporations working to fine tune their songs, lyrics, and beats to meet today's checklists to get airtime with the ultimate money of of commercial licensing....

Sounds like they need to spend less time fiddly-dicking around with that stuff and more time drinking at Tootsie's Orchid Lounge.

 

[lermgalieu]

But in the long run, I think she's going to need to develop as a writer, not least in terms of "credibility" , but in terms of having a more secure income, a deeper connection to the songs, and by extension the audience, and generally being more artistically fulfilled.

She's come a long way from being a teenager uploading acoustic cover versions to YouTube, but it was always clear that she was snapped up on that basis, and surrounded by a team.

It's only a matter of time before she outgrows that way of working, but whilst she's still having big hits, and is what the industry considers the "right" side of 30, she doesn't need to upset the apple cart...

Unless her current team keep dropping her in legal hot water, or diluting the song writing credits further, by relying on samples, and outright plagiarism.

I guess what I am saying is what she does is her own business. I don't really care what Dua Lipa does, how she evolves or any of it. I like her voice, but I've already spent more time today thinking about this than I care to.

 

[ThudThudThud]

He's so fine....hare hare.....he's so fine.....deeva guru....he's so fine....

 

[74hc]

Well, I suspect all the youtube music experts are going to be all over this.

 

[JKos]

Well, I suspect all the youtube music experts are going to be all over this.

Rick Beato is 3, 2, 1, …

 

[smtp4me]

12 notes. Good luck. Nothing against an obscure bottom market cracker "reggae" band from Florida who's very essence is copying and cultural appropriation, even their name is a cheeky take on another more popular band. Good luck. If you win (settle) maybe you'll get better gigs for 3 months.

One thing that's a certainty, nobody on DL's team ever heard that band or that song.

Exactly. 12 notes. Levitating is in B minor, and the chord progression is therefore 1, 5, 4 (then 1 again). I'm sure the members of Artikal invented the 1, 4, 5 progression (sarcasm). I'm sure they are also the only artists in history to use that beat (more sarcasm). Levitating was released in 2020 and Artikal just realized this alleged "rip off" now?!? This is a money grab.

 

[RichardW]

Similar? Sure. Complete ripoff? I think you'll have a hard time making that case. That said, they are both equally inane and boring, IMO, but then I'm a 62-year-old white guy so I'm definitely not the target audience.

 

[Diminishedfilth]

They both sound “inspired” by Ronnie Law’s Always There.

 

[txhawaii]

They both sound “inspired” by Ronnie Law’s Always There.

good call!

 

[burgerdj]

Someone’s gonna get paid.

 

[lermgalieu]

12 notes. Good luck. Nothing against an obscure bottom market cracker "reggae" band from Florida who's very essence is copying and cultural appropriation, even their name is a cheeky take on another more popular band.

None of this has anything to do with whether Dua copied their song, unless you are claiming they in turn copied it from someone else.

Exactly. 12 notes. Levitating is in B minor, and the chord progression is therefore 1, 5, 4 (then 1 again). I'm sure the members of Artikal invented the 1, 4, 5 progression (sarcasm). I'm sure they are also the only artists in history to use that beat (more sarcasm). Levitating was released in 2020 and Artikal just realized this alleged "rip off" now?!? This is a money grab.

Having read the complaint, I can assure you it does not allege that they invented the chord progression. There's more in common than the chord progression, to my ear (having only listened to a snippet. The melody? The (some) words?

 

[MDBass]

Love Dua and this song, but wow, these 2 tunes are very, very similar. I'm predicting a settlement and/or a potential writing credit on this one.

Dua Lipa Sued for Allegedly Ripping Off 'Levitating' from Reggae Band

I’m amused by the number of negative comments from people here: especially since they’re clearly out of their musical depth.

The whole arrangement is similar, and yes there are “only 12 notes”, but there are entire sections where the melody, underlying harmony, and bass hook are identical in the two songs.

The precedent set in Robin Thicke/Marvin Gaye case, where it was only the groove that was deemed identical, means this reggae band is essentially guaranteed a settlement and/or writer credit on “Levitating”.