• Marvin Gaye's Family Issues Open Letter on 'Blurred Lines' Verdict, Won't Seek Legal Action Against Pharrell's "Happy"

    Marvin Gaye's family shared an open letter yesterday, March 18, regarding the recent verdict in the "Blurred Lines" lawsuit. A jury ruled that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams owed the family $7.4 million because the pair's hit copied Gaye's 1977 track "Got to Give It Up." The family believes that if Gaye were alive today, he would embrace all the technological advances in music.

  • Blurred Lines Trial: Marvin Gaye's Family Look to Punish Labels, T.I.

    The Marvin Gaye family are not satisfied with the $7.4 million settlement decision they just received from a jury over the unfair use of "Got to Give It Up" in Pharrell and Robin Thicke's 2013 summer hit "Blurred Lines." The family has filed new motions to hold T.I. -- real name Clifford Harris Jr. -- and the labels that distributed the track, Universal Music, Interscope and Star Trak Entertainment, responsible as well.

  • Jermaine Dupri: Ciara's "I Bet" Sounds Like Usher's "U Got It Bad"

    Following the verdict in the "Blurred Lines" lawsuit, the Associated Press decided to get producer Jermaine Dupri's take on the matter. Dupri understood both sides, saying he could hear the similarities, but he never thought Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke would end up in court over it. Now he says he needs to go back and review Ciara's new tune "I Bet" because it sounds a lot like Usher's "U Got It Bad."

  • Pharrell Williams' 'Happy' Another Marvin Gaye Ripoff? His Family Thinks So...Another Lawsuit on The Way?

    Pharrell Williams referred to the Marvin Gaye estate as greedy many months ago when referring to the family's lawsuit against himself and Robin Thicke over the similarities between their hit "Blurred Lines" and the soul icon's "Got To Give It Up." Obviously a jury didn't agree with him, dropping a $7.3 million decision against the songwriting duo this week. Williams' statements might seem to air more on the side of truth now that one of Gaye's daughters has hinted that the no. 1 song of 2014, "Happy," might also sound a bit like the vocalist's "Ain't That Peculiar."

  • Robin Thicke & Pharrell to Appeal 'Blurred Lines' Verdict

    Music industry insiders and journalists from all corners of the Internet are decrying the recent verdict in the "Blurred Lines" lawsuit, which states that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams owe Marvin Gaye's estate $7.4 million for similarities between the 2013 smash hit and Gaye's "Got to Give It Up," and the songwriters are not going to let it stand.

  • Jury Decides Against Robin Thicke and Pharrell in "Blurred Lines" Lawsuit

    There has been a lot of controversy concerning the similarities between 2013 hit "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams and Marvin Gaye's 1977 "Got to Give It Up." Today, March 10, a federal jury found "Blurred Lines" to be an infringement on "Got to Give It Up." Gayes's family has been awarded nearly $7.4 million.

  • Miley Cyrus Inspiration for Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' According to Pharrell Williams in Lawsuit Testimony

    Things have gotten exciting in the "Blurred Lines" trial as Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams have entered the picture to offer testimony defending their hit song against claims from the Marvin Gaye estate that the no. 1 single is dangerously similar to the soul icon's "Got to Give It Up." Williams, the producer and occasional crooner, took to the stand this week and declared that the first performer he had on his mind when he drafted "Lines" wasn't Gaye at all, but Miley Cyrus.

  • Marvin Gaye/Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams 'Blurred Lines' Lawsuit Hits Roadblock as Audio Recordings Disallowed

    Marvin Gaye's estate insists that "Blurred Lines," the top song of 2013 by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, is unmistakably similar to the soul singer's "Got To Give It Up," and indeed many who listen to the tracks will be able to hear the likeness. However, a judge has ruled that jurors in the case won't be able to listen to the two songs as part of their deliberations...which hardly seems fair but there is legal reasoning behind it.

  • The 13 Songs of D'Angelo's 'Voodoo': Ranked for its 15th Anniversary

    Today, Jan. 25, marks the 15th anniversary of D'Angelo's classic sophomore album, "Voodoo," which combined R&B, funk, soul and hip-hop in such an experimental and masterful way that it came to be seen at the crowning achievement of neo-soul, a movement which also included artists such as Lauryn Hill, The Roots and Erykah Badu. In celebration of this incredible album, here are its 13 songs ranked, from weakest to best.

  • 'Guardians of The Galaxy' Soundtrack: 'Awesome Mix Vol. 1' Goes Platinum...Fans Looking Forward to Sequel, 'Vol. 2'

    Something skipped the attention of both Billboard and ourselves when reporting the Billboard 200 and album sales totals this week: Guardians of The Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 1 broke the million-albums sales mark last week with its 35,000 haul last week, bringing it to platinum status. Had it managed to sell just a tad faster in the last weeks of 2014, the mainstream soundtrack accompaniment to the film Guardians of The Galaxy would have been just the third album released during the year to attain platinum status, joining Taylor Swift and 1989 as well as Sam Smith's In The Lonely Hour as albums reaching platinum. The soundtrack for Frozen was the second highest-selling album of 2014, being the last soundtrack album to reach the million-album mark (although it was technically released during 2013).

  • Eminem, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Marvin Gaye Recordings Used for Illegal Prison Mixtapes...Universal Music Bringing Lawsuit

    No good deed goes unpunished. Or at least no profitable act disguised as a good deed goes unpunished. The Centric Group and Keefe Groups, two of several such institutions cited by Billboard, have been selling "care packages" to families of incarcerated individuals, which can include music mixtapes as part of their appeal. Universal Music is calling these agencies out on it in a new lawsuit, alleging that selling these mixtapes for profit doesn't constitute fair use and the record is owed legal restitution. Among the acts represented on the tapes are Eminem, Stevie Wonder, James Brown and Marvin Gaye.

  • 10 Best Cover Songs Of 2014

    Because cover songs don't garner nearly as much traction on the radio or the charts as they once did, artists these days treat them more like fun little experiments, where they can try out things they normally wouldn't on one of their albums or original singles. This has resulted in plenty of inventive and fascinating covers, especially this past year. Here are the year's 10 best cover songs (in no particular order).
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