Ariana Grande is facing a new lawsuit from singer/songwriter Josh Stone who claims she ripped off his 2017 song You Need It, I Got It and used it in her hit 7 Rings two years later.
Stone, a.k.a. Dot, claims his song You Need It, I Got It, which he wrote in January 2017, has essentially the same hook, according to the lawsuit.
The repeating hook to 7 Rings, which was released in January 2019, is ‘I want it, I got it, I want it, I got it,’ while Stone’s is, ‘You need it, I got it. You want it, I got it.’
Lawsuit: Ariana Grande is facing a new lawsuit from a singer/songwriter Josh Stone who claims she ripped off his 2017 song You Need It, I Got It and used it in her hit 7 Rings
Same hook: Stone, a.k.a. Dot, claims his song You Need It, I Got It, which he wrote in January 2017, has essentially the same hook, according to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ
Stone wrote his song two years before Grande’s 7 Rings was released, with the singer releasing the song on his YouTube channel in November 2017.
In his complaint, Stone calls Grande’s 7 Rings, ‘by every method of analysis…a forgery,’ claiming that her track has an ‘identical metrical placement of the paired phrases.’
He also claims that he had a meeting in 2017 with Tommy Brown, who has worked with Grande on all five of her albums, and he was reportedly interested in the song.
Brown also reportedly took meetings with other music executives, including ones from Universal Music Group, which released 7 Rings.
Two years: Stone wrote his song two years before Grande’s 7 Rings was released, with the singer, known as Dot, releasing the song on his YouTube channel in November 2017
Identical: Stone claims that Grande’s 7 Rings has an ‘identical metrical placement of the paired phrases’
With the support of findings from ‘musicology experts,’ Stone’s complaint alleges that it was ‘virtually impossible for 7 Rings to have been created independently of (and without copying) I Got It.’
Stone is seeking the profits from the 7 Rings song, along with an order from the judge that causes Grande to be ‘restrained and enjoined from continuing’ to profit from the popularity of 7 Rings, in spite of the fact that it’s already been released for a year and enjoyed immense popularity.
Ironically, Grande’s 7 Rings quite blatantly samples ANOTHER song, far more famous than Stone’s — My Favorite Things, sung by Julie Andrews in the classic 1965 film The Sound of Music.
Meanwhile, a source connected to Grande stated Stone’s claims are ‘ridiculous.’
Meetings: Brown also reportedly took meetings with other music executives, including ones from Universal Music Group, which released 7 Rings
Seeking profits: Stone is seeking the profits from the 7 Rings son, along with an order from the judge prohibiting 7 Rings ‘from seeing daylight,’ even though it’s been released for a year
While neither Grande nor Stone have to date commented publicly on the lawsuit, Variety reports the lawsuit was filed in New York federal court by attorney Tamir Young, who serves as legal counsel for Stone.
The suit also claims that ‘two forensic musicologists’ analyzed the choruses to both songs and found them both to be ‘substantially similar.’
‘Literally, every single one of the 39 respective notes of 7 Rings is identical with the 39 notes of I Got It from a metrical placement perspective,’ the lawsuit claims.
No comment: While neither Grande nor Stone have commented publicly on the lawsuit, Variety reports the lawsuit was filed in New York federal court by attorney Tamir Young
‘Said another way, the rhythm and placement of the notes and lyrics are identical,’ reads another segment of the lawsuit.
7 Rings was the second single of Grande’s fifth studio album, Thank U, Next, debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts.
The song was on the Hot 100 charts for 33 weeks, her longest-charting single to date, and it was atop the charts for eight non-consecutive weeks.
As Stone’s complaint points out, 7 Rings also enjoyed royalties from a licensing deal with Apple for a TV commercial and alleges the song ‘has already earned over $10 million and continues to generate revenue.’
Musicologists: The suit also claims that, ‘two forensic musicologists’ analyzed the choruses to both songs and found them both to be ‘substantially similar’
A similar case to this made major headlines last year, when Katy Perry famously lost a copyright infringement suit claiming her 2013 track Dark Horse copied a Christian rap song entitled Joyful Noise.
Referencing that case, Young said in a statement, ‘The level of copying in 7 Rings is simply shocking – there’s a much clearer case of infringement [here] than Blurred Lines or Katy Perry’s Dark Horse.
‘The rash of copyright infringement in music has caused incredible harm and injustice to lesser known or up-and-coming artists and songwriters,’ he added.
Identical: ‘Said another way, the rhythm and placement of the notes and lyrics are identical,’ reads another segment of the lawsuit
Second single: 7 Rings was the second single of Grande’s fifth studio album, Thank U, Next, debuting atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts