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two Italian composers are now receiving songwriting royalties for the song. At least in Italy (?).

There's a link to an earlier Billboard story here, too:

http://radio.com/2016/07/20/italian-due-prince-royalties-the-most-beautiful-girl-in-the-world/

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laytonian said:

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two Italian composers are now receiving songwriting royalties for the song. At least in Italy (?).

There's a link to an earlier Billboard story here, too:

http://radio.com/2016/07/20/italian-due-prince-royalties-the-most-beautiful-girl-in-the-world/

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Of course, Prince didn't sue Jimmy Jam for copying "Controversy" when Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" was written....but he got pesky in concert. LOL that guy.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Have_You_Done_for_Me_Lately#Usage_in_media_and_legacy

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laytonian said:

Of course, Prince didn't sue Jimmy Jam for copying "Controversy" when Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" was written....but he got pesky in concert. LOL that guy.

nonames said:

I don't hear *any* connection between Controversy and WHYDFML... In what way does that song rip off Controversy?

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I always wondered why he would say 'Who wrote that?' when they would drop into WHYDFML during a song.

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laurarichardson said:

nonames said:

There's no way that Prince listened to that horrendous song before he wrote TMBITW, but the truth is that there is a line in it that sounds exactly like the main melody of The Most Brautiful...

--- It could have been coincidence but these guys actually lost in the first trail and won after their appeal. Italian courts are known to be corrupt and the did actually start to get royalties until a few months ago but the estate can pull this song off of Tidal at any time and since P owns the song outright these two are going to pennies. Was it really worth 20 years and who gave them money to keep the case going for 20 years?

Yeah I think they are corrupt, I know MJ's "You Are Not Alone" has a legally recognised co-writer in Italy as well. I'm sure R. Kelly and Prince are ripping off obscure Italian songs, like they don't have enough of their own ideas...

laurarichardson said:

nonames said:

There's no way that Prince listened to that horrendous song before he wrote TMBITW, but the truth is that there is a line in it that sounds exactly like the main melody of The Most Brautiful...

--- It could have been coincidence but these guys actually lost in the first trail and won after their appeal. Italian courts are known to be corrupt and the did actually start to get royalties until a few months ago but the estate can pull this song off of Tidal at any time and since P owns the song outright these two are going to pennies. Was it really worth 20 years and who gave them money to keep the case going for 20 years?

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The suit only applies within Italy...and I'm sure TMBGITW isn't big there

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MrSquiggle said:

laurarichardson said:

nonames said: --- It could have been coincidence but these guys actually lost in the first trail and won after their appeal. Italian courts are known to be corrupt and the did actually start to get royalties until a few months ago but the estate can pull this song off of Tidal at any time and since P owns the song outright these two are going to pennies. Was it really worth 20 years and who gave them money to keep the case going for 20 years?

Yeah I think they are corrupt, I know MJ's "You Are Not Alone" has a legally recognised co-writer in Italy as well. I'm sure R. Kelly and Prince are ripping off obscure Italian songs, like they don't have enough of their own ideas...

I would not be surprised if the song gets pulled off of Tidal that is the only why they can get royalties. No distrubution no money.

nonames said:

There's no way that Prince listened to that horrendous song before he wrote TMBITW, but the truth is that there is a line in it that sounds exactly like the main melody of The Most Brautiful...

Really?

There is an ongoing melody in the background that is kind of similar but I wouldn't say it was the same?

I mean if you were to hum "Takin' me to paradise" and them hum TMBGITW... they wouldn't sound anything alike.

This is the song if anyone hasn't already googled it:

Noodled24 said:

nonames said:

There's no way that Prince listened to that horrendous song before he wrote TMBITW, but the truth is that there is a line in it that sounds exactly like the main melody of The Most Brautiful...

Really?

There is an ongoing melody in the background that is kind of similar but I wouldn't say it was the same?

I mean if you were to hum "Takin' me to paradise" and them hum TMBGITW... they wouldn't sound anything alike.

This is the song if anyone hasn't already googled it:

You have to get a musicolgist to tell if the notes are the same and under copyright law you can use up to a certain number of notes or chords without infringement. I dobut Italian law cares about U.S. copyrigth laws and that is why they did not bring the case to the states. Anyway sounds like a scam to get money that is not going generate anything buy pennies if that.

Italian justice at work. No way Prince stole from anyone. All I can think of is that murder trial of Amanda Knox - they didn't care if she was innocent - they just wanted to convict her. Same here.

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Led Zeppelin just WON a similar case when Spirit claimed they stole the intro to Stairway to Heaven.

There was *some* resemblance...but without hearing both played a certain way, one would not connect them.

This lawsuit wouldn't work with ASCAP in the US. I don't think Tidal will be worried; they have to e licensed in each country.

Give them a quarter (25-cents) in royalties every month.

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Sounds absolutely nothing like it.

Militant said:

nonames said:

kapo74 said:

Noodled24 said:

nonames said:

There's no way that Prince listened to that horrendous song before he wrote TMBITW, but the truth is that there is a line in it that sounds exactly like the main melody of The Most Brautiful...

Really?

There is an ongoing melody in the background that is kind of similar but I wouldn't say it was the same?

I mean if you were to hum "Takin' me to paradise" and them hum TMBGITW... they wouldn't sound anything alike.

This is the song if anyone hasn't already googled it:

THAT case should've been thrown out of court. Prince's TMBGITW sounds nothing like THAT^ Euro-pop track.

how the hell did they win that trial? That song is as basic and as generic as they come. There's no way that Prince ripped it off in anyway. Actually, if anything thing the opening piano is more like the opening chords of purple rain...haha

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If those guys didn't win the stairway to heaven case, which was so blatant, no idea how these crooks won this.

This is my field actually and I'm surprised the ruling was overturned. There is partial similarity in the melody but it is not enough, especially with different key, tempo and lyrics.

The chance of Vicino gaining royalties in the US or UK for example would be slim.

Prince was no stranger to a bit of creative borrowing but this is not such an occasion imo.

I'm trying to come up with a scenario where, when and how would Prince have heard this obscurity?

[Edited 7/20/16 17:28pm]

Marrk said:

PacManPlus said:

I don't hear *any* connection between Controversy and WHYDFML... In what way does that song rip off Controversy?

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I always wondered why he would say 'Who wrote that?' when they would drop into WHYDFML during a song.

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Same here. According to the wiki link above it would have to do with an unheard, early demo of Controversy but it's the first time I hear of this and I wonder what the source is

I've always been intrigued by the "who wrote this" phrase too but so far I assumed it was more like a homage, as in "my former proteges wrote this great hit". I would like to hear more about this controversy (no pun intended).

databank said:

Bighead said:

BillieBalloon said:

Bighead said:

The melody is just like it. Prince probably thought he could get away with it like john Lennon thought of come together. Prince was human and was not above getting" inspired" by other people's songs or even his own. Prince was not the the perfect musical God. He took inspiration from different sources and put it out there. I'm sure he heard the song somewhere and one day while writing, that melody just popped into his head and he didn't remember he'd heard it. [Edited 7/20/16 12:45pm]

George Harrison was apparently found guilty of "unconscious plagiarism' for My Sweeet Lord and was slapped with a hefty fine. However, I don't think Prince, given his highly regarded reputation for songwriting, would ever plagarize either consciously or unconsciously. To me it doesn't sound the same..so no. Being 'inspired" is different to copying and of course songwriters find their inspiration from many sources and that's perfectly natural thing to do. [Edited 7/20/16 18:02pm]

This is exactly what I'm trying to say. John Lennon and George Harrison were no slouches in the songwriting category and I don't think they actually sat down and thought, " I'm gonna write this song that sounds like like this other song and hope I get away with it", but they wrote song songs that did sound like other songs and got slapped with injunctions. The rolling stones wrote a song called anybody seen my baby? and Keith richard's daughter pointed out that it sounded like a k.d. Lang song. Keith researched the song presented the evidence to Mick and they decided that yes indeed It did have a similiar feel to it and simply included those songwriter's names in the credits, shared the royalties and moved on with the rest of their careers. It happens to the best and worst of us.

laurarichardson said:

Italian courts are known to be corrupt

Ah certo. Non dimenticare che suoniamo il mandolino e mangiamo la pizza andando a baciare le mani al mafioso di zona.