Fearless (The Legal Version)

Big weekend! Taylor Swift has re-released her 2008 album “Fearless” to claw back ownership of, and agency over, her music after the much publicized sale of the original master recordings to a private equity firm. The release, of course, is taglined, “Taylor’s Version” – but what is the (copyright) legality behind how Taylor was able … Read more

Lawsuit Incoming: “Babylon”

“Chromatica,” the latest album from Lady Gaga, was released on Friday. Have you already listened to it 10x on repeat? Does “Babylon” (Track 16) sound familiar to you? Are you friends with any Madonna fans? Then, you might know about the hubbub already. Before reading further, here are both tracks: Whether this becomes another “Vanilla … Read more

The Legal Status of Mashup Music

I am a pretty big fan of mashup. If you haven’t heard of mashup music before, take a listen to Pandamonium [sic] by the White Panda: https://thewhitepanda.bandcamp.com/track/pandamonium-continuous-mix. “A mashup is a creative work, usually in a form of a song, created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of … Read more