Ellen Finally Punished For Dancing...to Unlicensed Music
Let this be a lesson to all talk show hosts: You can't just dance freely through your studio, booty-shaking with elderly guests and engaging unwilling audience members in a hand clap without any kind of repercussion. At least if your deejay is spinning over 1,000 popular jams that have not been licensed. Just ask Ellen DeGeneres, American Idol's freshly appointed fourth judge, whose production company, A Very Good Production, is being sued by four major record companies.
Warner Music Group Corp, Sony Music Entertainment, Vivendi SA's Universal Music Group and EMI Group filed a joint lawsuit on Wednesday against DeGeneres's company for using more than 1,000 songs without permission during the host's dancing segments on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The labels claim that when they asked DeGeneres Show representatives why they had not obtained licenses for the music, the show replied that they "did not roll that way."
The lawsuit responds that "As sophisticated consumers of music, defendants knew fully well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act ... they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully."
Touché.
· Record labels sue over use of songs on 'Ellen' show[Reuters]
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Comments
Did Ellen think her show was seen only on youtube? (circa 2005)
The actual first reply from ELLEN's reps was: "OOPS?!"
You need a license for music? Nazi's! It's not like I'm catching a fish or something.
So the labels are punishing "free" advertising of their artists now? Brilliant plan. No wonder the industry charges increasingly insane prices for the drivel that are modern albums.
Funny how they are just now suing, after her Idol gig is announced. Coincidink?
Yes, coincidence most likely. Doubtful four major labels could team up and organize a joint lawsuit in a day or two. It's probably been in the works awhile.
Sweetbiscuit, Idol has nothing to do with this lawsuit. Lawsuits take much time to prepare and file.
Cetius, another way of looking at the so-called "free" advertising is taking a company's product and using it without paying. Music labels make money off their music. Licensing happens in many more industries than just music. If anything, not getting paid licensing fees is driving up prices. Also, I recommend thinking about how Ellen is benefitting from using the music.
I don't watch the show. Are they playing well-known songs by the original artists, or is the DJ sampling?
Either way, they're in the wrong. But wow - 1,000 tunes?
What could they have been thinking, and why didn't they do their mea culpas get this thing cleaned up before it went public??
Oh, and Cetius, I think the proper grammar is "the drivel that AM modern albums."
When her talk show started, I noticed Ms. Degeneres often displayed bigotry & a casual indifference for education. About the 3rd time I heard her mispronounce someone's name & either shrug it off or blame Christian Science, I stopped watching.
Actually hearing music on TV shows has made me want to and later on buy the album. Same on the music producers. I guess Ellen won't be dancing on her program now.
well you can ask them here, if I see them I answer them, but yes, there should be a weightlifting sub section, maybe there is in sports.