CHR Music News

Appeal planned after Ed Sheeran win over copyright infringement lawsuit involving "Thinking Out Loud"

ABC/Eric McCandless

The family of Marvin Gaye's co-writer on "Let's Get it On" intends to appeal a verdict in Manhattan federal court for Ed Sheeran, according to a court filing Thursday.

The family of Ed Townsend filed a notice of appeal after it lost a copyright infringement case involving Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" last month.

The document did not say on what grounds the Townsend family would appeal, but it did signal the family would challenge the outcome and several rulings made by the judge.

A Manhattan jury decided in Sheeran's favor in May when they found that the singer did not engage in willful copyright infringement following a trial that saw Sheeran playing the guitar and singing in court.

"I'm obviously very happy with the outcome of the case. And it looks like I'm not having to retire from my day job after all," Sheeran told reporters outside the courthouse at the time. "But at the same time, I'm unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all."

Sheeran insisted he chord progression of his song was common and belonged to no particular artist.

Sheeran also testified that he wrote most of his songs in a day, suggesting under questioning by his attorney, Ilene Farkas, that he did not stop to think about copying elements from "Let's Get It On" when he composed "Thinking Out Loud," as alleged by Townsend's heirs.

Townsend's family said Sheeran copied the sheet music of "Let's Get it On" and positioned the case as justice for Townsend's legacy and Black musicians whose work has been misappropriated by white artists.

Ben Crump, who represented the plaintiffs, said during opening remarks that the suit was about "giving credit where credit is due."

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Music notes: David Guetta, No Doubt and more

David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray are climbing the charts with their collab, “Baby Don’t Hurt Me.” The song hit number one on Billboard’s Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart. This gives David his 13th number one on the list, once again tying him with Calvin Harris.

No Doubt’s 1996 classic “Don’t Speak” is now part of YouTube’s Billion Views Club. The music video is one of less than 20 released in the 1990s to reach the milestone.

If you're on Camila Cabello/Shawn Mendes relationship watch, a source is giving some scoop to Us Weekly. The insider says their feelings came “flooding back” when they reconnected after their 2021 split. “They’ve practically moved in with each other,” the source says. “They each have their own places, but they’re spending every day they can together and traveling together.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Mariah Carey sells Atlanta mansion at a loss after overpaying during COVID-19 pandemic

In 2021, Mariah Carey bought a home in an Atlanta suburb for $5.65 million, but according to The Wall Street Journal, she's just sold it at a loss.

Originally listed for $6.5 million, the mansion sold for $4.3 million, the paper reports. Mariah bought the 12,600-square-foot home, which sits on 4 acres, to be closer to her band during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The broker who arranged the sale told the paper, "During Covid, a lot of people paid premiums for houses like this because of the privacy, the amenities and the acreage. It was just a different time.”

The house has nine bedrooms, a pool, a tennis court and a recording booth that Mariah had installed. The buyer is Michael Dickey, chief executive of the Atlanta-based magazine publisher Modern Luxury Media. When asked if Dickey is a Mariah fan, the broker told the Journal that she guessed so, adding, "I mean, who isn’t a fan of hers?”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Ava Max and Hayley Kiyoko team up with WEBTOON for LGBTQ+ webcomic miniseries

Courtesy of Atlantic Records and WEBTOON

Ava Max and Hayley Kiyoko are celebrating Pride Month by turning their songs into a webcomic miniseries that will focus on LGBTQ+ stories.

The three-episode anthology, called Love Stories, will feature narratives inspired by the artists' songs and will be available on WEBTOON, the world's largest digital comics platform.

The first episode, "Forever," is based on Hayley's song of the same name and will launch on June 12. June 19 will see the launch of "Sleepwalker," based on Ava's song of the same name. The third episode, coming June 26, is "Something Familiar," based on a song by Australian singer-songwriter MAY-A.

“Pride Month is all about celebrating and learning to love yourself,” says Hayley, who identifies as a lesbian. "A big part of why I’m excited to collaborate with WEBTOON is the opportunity to hopefully inspire people around the world to love themselves in a new way, bringing hope to people who are at different points in their Pride journey.”

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Madonna make 'Forbes' list of America's Richest Self-Made Women

ABC

As Jay-Z once said, "I'm not a businessman; I'm a business, man!" Replace "man" with "woman" and you've got the singers who've made it onto Forbes' list of the 100 Richest Self-Made Women in America.

The highest-ranking musician is Rihannawho's at #20 with a wealth of $1.4 billion. Of course, her vast wealth primarily comes from her cosmetics line, Fenty Beauty, which she co-owns with luxury goods company LVMH. The line doubled its sales in 2022. 

Rihanna also owns a 30% stake in the Savage X Fenty lingerie line, and last year, she released her first new music in five years for the movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

Taylor Swift is the next highest-ranked musician on the list: She's #34 with a fortune of $740 million. Her bottom line has been boosted by the success of her album Midnights, as well as the ticket sales for her Eras Tour. As Billboard notes, Midnights is likely to return to the top of the charts due to the new 'Til Dawn deluxe version she released last week.

Madonna's next at #45 with $580 million, a fortune which will no doubt be increased in the next few months by her upcoming Celebration tour. Beyoncé's at #48 with $540 million, but her current Renaissance tour might boost her income over the next few months, as well.

Céline Dion is #56 with $480 million, but due to her diagnosis of the rare disease stiff person syndrome, she's currently unable to perform live, cutting into what would normally be a huge source of revenue. 

Country icon Dolly Parton is #59 with $440 million, while Barbra Streisand rounds out the musicians on the list at #61 with $430 million.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Sam Smith covers Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" for Pride Month

Amazon Music

Sam Smith is putting their own spin on Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful” in honor of Pride Month.

Sam delivers a stripped down, soulful cover of the empowering track, which is available on Amazon Music now.

“I’ve been such a massive fan of Christina’s for as long as I can remember and will never forget the first time I heard ‘Beautiful’ and how personally it spoke to me,” Sam says in a statement. “The song is a true acceptance anthem and continues to inspire me with its important message to never stop celebrating who you are. I’m honored to have the opportunity to offer my rendition.”

Sam’s “Beautiful” cover is the first Amazon Original released for Amazon Music’s PROUD playlist, which will feature new music from LGBTQ+ creators all month.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Official video for Halsey/Suga collab "Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)" coming June 5

Blizzard Entertainment

In December, Halsey appeared at The Game Awards to perform her song "Lilith" and to announce that the long-awaited fourth installment of Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo video game would arrive June 6. Well, now we're getting an official "Diablo IV Anthem" version of "Lilith," plus a video — both of which feature BTS' Suga.

The first 20 seconds of the video premiered at a Diablo IV launch event in LA on Wednesday night, which featured a DJ set by Zedd. In the video, guests were introduced to Halsey embodying the game's protagonist: the Blessed Mother Lilith. The full video and song will premiere on June 5, but you can watch the teaser now on Instagram.

Now it seems it wasn't a coincidence that just last month Halsey made a surprise appearance at the last show of Suga’s tour, at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum. The two performed “Suga’s Interlude,” from Halsey’s Manic album, live for the first time.

Diablo IV is available to prepurchase now.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Ed Sheeran responds to Lewis Capaldi's command to fans to chant "Eff you, Ed!"

Joseph Okpako/WireImage

Lewis Capaldi and Ed Sheeran are close friends, but they also enjoy joking about their mock rivalry on the charts. Last weekend during a performance, Lewis encouraged to crowd to chant "F*** you, Ed!" — and now Ed has responded.

According to Billboard, Lewis' dig at Ed took place at BBC Radio One’s Big Weekend festival in Scotland on Sunday. Lewis told the crowd, "Ed's not here ... f*** him! Everybody on the count of three, say, 'F*** you, Ed!'" The cheering crowd complied.

Ed included Lewis' original video in his reply, then said to camera, "I thought we were friends, Lewis. I thought we were friends," plus a series of bleeped-out comments. Ed wrote in the caption, as a twist on Lewis' biggest hit, "I was getting kinda used to being someone you loved @lewiscapaldi."

In the comments, fans swooned over the singers' friendship and, of course, begged for a collaboration. They already have collaborated, in a way: Ed co-wrote "Pointless," one of the songs on Lewis' new album.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Lizzo slams fatphobic hate with fiery Twitter response

ABC

Lizzo unleashed a fiery response on Twitter after becoming the target of yet another wave of fatphobic hate and body-shaming.

In a series of tweets on Wednesday, May 31, she called out a viral post that triggered a barrage of negative comments.

Sharing a screenshot of a hateful tweet mocking her for her size, the "About Damn Time" singer expressed her frustration, stating, "I JUST logged on and the app and this is the type of s*** I see about me on a daily basis."

Lizzo went on to lament the toll it takes on her, confessing, "It's really starting to make me hate the world."

"I LITERALLY STOPPED EATING FAST FOOD YEARS AGO," she declared, in response to a user pondering "what she must be eating." "I'm tired of explaining myself all the time and I just wanna get on this app w/out seeing my name in some b*******."

In a subsequent tweet, the 35-year-old explained, "I'm not trying to BE fat I'm not trying to BE smaller I'm literally just trying to live and be healthy."

Lizzo went on to express her distaste for the internet and how it's made her contemplate leaving the music industry behind, stating, "Y'all don't know how close I be to giving up on everyone and quitting and enjoying my money and my man on a F****** FARM."

Over on Instagram, the self-love and body positivity advocate posted a snippet of herself on stage, alongside the caption, "I WILL NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT HOW DIFFICULT YALL MAKE IT FOR FAT PEOPLE TO SIMPLY EXIST. MINDING YOUR BUSINESS IS *FREE*."

"IF THE INTERNET WAS LIMITED AND ONE COMMENT TOOK 24HRS TO POST I WONDER WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA WOULD BE LIKE," she wrote. 

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


State-of-the-art British garbage trucks named after Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber

Dave Hogan/MTV 2015/Getty Images for MTV

Is this a reflection of their music? Some new garbage trucks in England have been named after Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber.

In Suffolk, England, where Ed is from, the Suffolk City Council decided to hold a competition asking residents to name its new fleet of recycling trucks. The state-of-the-art trucks will carry household recyclables, yard waste and plain old bags of garbage to the county's waste processing facilities, where they'll be converted into energy or recycled.

The winning names are all puns using the British word for garbage can — "bin" — or other trash-related words. Since Ed's a local, it's no wonder one of the winning names was "Ed Sheerbin." Another name, inspired by Biebs, is "Dustbin Bieber."

Keeping with the theme of famous singers, a third truck is named "Debris Harry" — after Blondie's Debbie Harry.  Some of the other winning names include "Bincent Van Gogh" and "Oprah Binfree."

We should just be glad one of the winning names wasn't Trashy McTrashface.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Sara Bareilles on “incredible” experience judging contestants blind for new singing competition 'Breakthrough'

L-R: Sara Bareilles, Daveed Diggs, Kelly Rowland; Kwaku Alston

On The Voice, the coaches can't see the contestants until after they've heard them sing. Well, on Breakthrough — a new Audible Original that's the first singing competition developed and launched exclusively as a podcast — the judges didn't see the contestants until the entire competition was over.

Hosted by Daveed Diggs, the show features Sara Bareilles and Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child leading five undiscovered artists through various singing and songwriting challenges, with help from industry professionals. But Sara and Kelly didn't lay eyes on any of the five contestants — Blaze, Johnna, Mitch, Melanie and Sasha — until they declared one of them the winner.

Sara tells ABC Audio of the going-in-blind concept, "There are so many assumptions that get made [because of] how we perceive someone, and it takes you out of really just experiencing the music, the tone of the voices or the blend or ... the stories that we're being told, the craft of the songwriting." 

"It was very liberating to distill it to this kind of one sense. It was incredible," she adds.

Sara previously judged the third season of NBC's The Sing-Off — famously won by Pentatonix — but says she doesn't really enjoy giving out criticism. Breakthrough is different, she says, because "we really looked at this as a mentorship program."

"It was really about how can we pull out the best in each of these artists," she explains. "It was really about learning how they could be their biggest, brightest selves, and I think they all made a tremendous amount of growth and big leaps in this competition. That will really stick with me."

Breakthrough episodes one through three are streaming now; three additional episodes will debut each week until the two final episodes, which drop June 22.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Lawyer: Britney Spears will allow ex-husband Kevin Federline to move to Hawaii with sons

Britney Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline, the father of her two sons, Sean and Jayden, recently decided to move his family to Hawaii because of job opportunities. Kevin's lawyer told Entertainment Tonight that if Britney didn't agree to the move, he'd have to take legal action. Well, it seems Britney's given the OK, but only after her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, accused Kevin of "appallingly" violating her privacy.

In a letter from Rosengart to Kevin's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplanobtained by Page Six, Rosengart says Britney "will not interfere with and consents to the relocation.” But Rosengart goes on to take Kaplan and Kevin to task for blabbing about their lives to the media.

According to Page Six, Rosengart's letter to Kaplan argues Kevin "appallingly violated [the boys'] privacy, while egregiously violating Britney’s privacy, by releasing a private video of Britney with her children," and also slams him for doing an Australian TV interview about Britney.

In addition, Rosengart points out that he told Kaplan to keep quiet about the move, but instead Kaplan did interviews about it with TMZ and Entertainment Tonight.

He calls Kaplan's interviews “undignified, ungracious and unnecessary,” then notes the irony of Kaplan's claim the family wanted to move to Hawaii because the boys wanted to be "more sheltered from the media."

"That is commendable. But your media interview did nothing to shelter them; instead, it publicized the issue in the media," Rosengarten points out.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Music notes: Pink, Tove Lo, Rihanna and more

Pink is letting it all hang out. She shared some photos of herself enjoying some rest and relaxation in both her bathing suit and her birthday suit. “Lake weekends and a new ridiculous bathing suit,” she captioned the photos. “If you haven’t showered outdoors while your husband tries to scare you every five minutes you haven’t lived!!!!!!” She added the hashtags #embarassingmoms #eyerollsfordays #bananaboobies #imfun #readyfortour.

The soundtrack for The Weeknd’s new Max show, The Idol, will feature a new song with Madonna and Playboi Carti called “Popular.” The single drops Friday, the same day the album becomes available for preorder.

Tove Lo’s got a new song out called “i like u,” an ode to ‘90s and Y2K dance music. A portion of the streaming proceeds will go to The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention organization for LGBTQ youth.

Rihanna is selling her Beverly Hills Tudor-style house less than two years after she bought it, Dirt reports. She paid $10 million for it at the time and is selling for $10.5 million. Not to worry, she owns another mansion right next door.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Ahead of Harry Styles concert, shops in Dublin are sold out of feather boas

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

An impending Harry Styles concert in Dublin, Ireland, has caused a major shortage of ... feather boas.

As The Irish Independent reports, Harry is playing at the legendary Irish venue Slane Castle on June 10, and stores in Dublin are running out of the accessory because fans want to wear them to the concert.

"There’s a shortage of feather boas in the U.K. and Ireland at the moment. We’ve been waiting ages for a delivery," complained one store manager. "In the past few weeks, we’ve had a lot of people coming in and asking for feather boas."

"What I find quite funny is the wide-eyed mothers coming in looking for their little [girls] who are going [to the concert], and then they say they need one too because they’re going," he added.

“The mams are being told they’re not allowed to go if they don’t wear a feather boa or the dress up in stuff like hats or feathers,” he added.

Another store manager said the only boas she had left were rainbow-colored ones, noting, "A lot of people have been asking for boas ... we’ll be getting our next big order in three days before the concert.” Apparently primary- and pastel-colored boas are on their way.

Harry famously wore three different feather boas to the Grammy Awards in 2021: a light green one while performing, a light purple one on the red carpet and while accepting his award, and a black one backstage.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Nick Jonas' new movie 'The Good Half' to premiere at Tribeca Festival next week

Ralph Bavaro/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

With all the activity Nick Jonas as been involved with lately as part of the Jonas Brothers, it's easy to forget that he's also an actor — and fans can see the latest addition to his filmography next week when it debuts at the Tribeca Festival.

Nick stars in the movie The Good Half alongside Brittany Snow, David Arquette, Alexandra Shipp, Matt Walsh and Elisabeth Shue. Described as a "tender family dramedy," the film stars Nick as Renn, an "emotionally distant writer" who goes back home to Cleveland, Ohio, for his mom's funeral. 

The return home means Renn has to interact with the family members he's been avoiding for years: his sister, his dad and his stepdad, played by, respectively, Snow, Walsh and Arquette. But when he gets involved with a stranger, played by Shipp, she makes him realize he has to face up to his issues at some point. Shue plays Renn's mom in flashbacks.

"Excited to be alongside this incredible cast!" Nick wrote on Instagram.

The Good Half premieres June 8, but will then be screened twice more, on June 10 and June 12. Visit TribecaFilm.com for all the details.

Meanwhile, Jonas Brothers will kick off their Five Albums. One Night. The Tour trek August 12 at Yankee Stadium.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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