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Miley Cyrus denies plagiarizing Bruno Mars song for her Grammy-winning Flowers as she files to dismiss lawsuit

BBG News

As a longtime music enthusiast and someone who has seen the evolution of pop music over the past few decades, I find myself deeply invested in these copyright infringement disputes. It’s fascinating to observe how the industry navigates such complexities, especially when it comes to hit songs that resonate with millions worldwide.

As a die-hard Miley Cyrus fan, let me tell you, she’s standing tall in the face of plagiarism allegations regarding her smash hit, Flowers. She flat-out denies claims that she copied Bruno Mars’ 2012 track, When I Was Your Man. In my book, Miley’s music remains uniquely hers!

According to papers acquired on Wednesday by People, lawyers for Cyrus countered the copyright infringement claim made by Tempo Music Investments in September, stating that the firm doesn’t have the authority to bring such a lawsuit.

Music publisher Tempo Music, who owns a piece of the copyright for Mars’ song due to co-writer Philip Lawrence, has no connection or partnership with the other two co-writers, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt, on this particular track.

Cyrus’ lawyers assert that only the individuals with exclusive ownership rights over a song are entitled to bring forward such a lawsuit. Since Tempo is merely an assigned collaborator on one part of the song, they claim there is no legal basis for them to initiate a lawsuit.

As a die-hard admirer, I couldn’t help but notice the striking similarities between Flowers’ latest ballad and Mars’ iconic track. Intrigued by these parallels, I found myself joining the ranks of fans and critics who drew comparisons between the two. Consequently, a lawsuit was filed, alleging that Flowers had plagiarized Mars’ timeless melody.

Instead, Cyrus’ lawyers are asking for the case to be thrown out, arguing that since an assignee of a single co-author doesn’t have exclusive rights, they also can’t bring a lawsuit over infringement, as reported by the media outlet.

In their legal dispute, Tempo Music asserts that Miley deliberately imitated Mars’ 2012 smash hit “When I Was Your Man” in her number one single “Flowers,” pointing out significant likenesses between the two tunes.

The investment firm contends that the song “Flowers” shares a strong musical similarity with “Mars,” noticeably in its verses and chorus sections.

Furthermore, Tempo contends that the chord sequences in Cyrus’ song, jointly created with Aldae (Gregory Hein) and Michael Pollack, share a resemblance with those in Mars’ ballad, and certain lyrics in Flowers exhibit similarities to those in When I Was Your Man, a song co-written by Mars alongside Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt.

The lawsuit by Tempo clearly argues that, given the multiple similarities between the two songs, it’s evident that “Flowers” wouldn’t have been created without “When I Was Your Man”.

Both songs were major hits, each topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart. 

In 2014, “While I Was Your Man” by Bruno Mars received a Grammy nomination in the Best Pop Solo Performance category. However, during the same ceremony, the song “Flowers” won Record of the Year – a category where Mars was also nominated. Additionally, “Flowers” was also up for Song of the Year, but it didn’t win that award.

The lawsuit accuses Cyrus, her producers Kid Harpoon and Tyler Harper, as well as her label, of having access to Mars’ song, despite the fact that When I Was Your Man has been widely available for years through physical media and streaming. 

Tempoh Music is demanding compensation that hasn’t been defined yet, and they are requesting, in a stronger move, that the song “Flowers” be taken down from all digital streaming services and any future physical copies of Miley Cyrus’ 2023 album, Endless Summer Vacation.

The firm is also pushing to prevent Cyrus from performing the song in the future.

Instead, it’s Tempo Music, not Mars himself, who has initiated the lawsuit after acquiring a portion of the song’s copyright following the transaction.

In the year 2021, Mars parted with a section of his music collection by selling it to Warner Music Group. However, it is said that he still maintains a significant controlling stake in this collection.

In 2019, the company known as Tempo, co-founded by Warner and Providence Equity Partners, initially invested $650 million, primarily focusing on acquiring music catalogs. This includes both the master recordings and the publishing rights associated with these catalogs.

It’s more common for established artists to cash out on parts of their collections, but it’s not usual for up-and-coming ones like Mars to do so. What makes this unusual is that he continues to hold the majority of rights over his creations.

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2024-11-26 08:48

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