Kanye West's 'Vultures' album uses an unauthorized interpolation of Donna Summer's 1977 hit "I Feel Love," the late Summer's estate claims.
  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
    58·
    10 months ago

    I’m all for sampling, but this is pretty damning-

    “Kanye West… asked permission to use Donna Summer’s song I Feel Love, he was denied… he changed the words, had someone re sing it or used AI but it’s I Feel Love… copyright infringement!!!” said a statement posted in an Instagram Story on the official Donna Summer account Saturday (Feb. 10).

    On Friday, former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne also called out Kanye West on social media, saying that Ye had asked to sample a song but was “refused permission because he is an antisemite.” Osbourne said he used the sample anyway at a Vultures 1 listening event at Chicago’s United Center this week. “I want no association with this man!” the rocker wrote. Although Osbourne said online that West asked to sample “War Pigs,” the song he seems to have used at the event is “Iron Man.”

  • The Pantser@lemmy.world
    351·
    10 months ago

    Parody and covers are fine but when you steal actual audio you really need permission or be prepared to pay in perpetuity for the theft. RIAA really needs to go after him for piracy.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
      141·
      10 months ago

      Parody is fine. Covers are a legal grey area (in U.S. law anyway). You probably won’t get in trouble if you’re a act performing a cover of I Feel Love at a live event, but if you’re going to sell a recording of the cover without a mechanical license, you could very well face legal trouble- even that is in a grey area because digital platforms like Apple Music automatically pay the publishers if you sell a cover through them and publishers seem satisfied with that arrangement. Even performing on a streaming platform like YouTube technically requires a synchronization license, although, again, YouTube often pays publishers a cut of advertising revenue.

      As I said above, performing a cover live generally won’t get you in trouble, but tribute bands are another story. If you want to do a Donna Summer tribute band and you don’t get legal permission, your ass is going to get sued.