7 Famous Musician-Related Court Cases that Changed Music
People love music. It is what brings them all together, and what could offer them unforgettable experiences. Music fans can relate to songs, listen to them when they feel a certain emotion, and support musicians in the process. But they can also attend concerts and music festivals, which is where they can form eternal friendships and make experiences they will remember until their last day.
Well, even though musicians are these entertaining and seemingly happy people, they still had to deal with their own issues in the legal system. Some had to deal with contract disputes, copyright claims, and other problems. If you’re interested to learn what happened, here are 7 famous musician-related court cases that changed music.
1. Ozzy Osbourne and the McCollum Family
Back in 1984, young John McCollum decided to take his own life. He used a gun to do it, but his parents thought it was a certain musician who encouraged him to take this step.
So, trying to blame the situation on Ozzy Osbourne’s “Suicide Solution” song, they went after the musician in court. But Osbourne argued the song was an anti-suicide one. The case was dismissed in 1988 after years in court.
2. Kesha and Dr. Luke
Kesha is stuck in a contract with Dr. Luke, a music producer who has allegedly harassed and sexually abused a lot of female musicians. Supposedly, he prevented Kesha from releasing a record. She can perform on stage, but because of the contract, he profits from her work. She is trying to breach this contract, though.
3. Metallica and Napster
Napster decided to share Metallica’s music using peer-to-peer services, and Metallica asked for $10 million in damages. Their songs were taken off the website afterward. The site eventually shut down, but others have risen and allowed illegal downloads. This has influenced how people search for music digitally since 2000.
4. Randy Blythe’s Manslaughter Incident
Back in 2010, at a Lamb of God show in Prague, a fan decided to stage dive when he shouldn’t have. The fan died, and Randy Blythe ended up being arrested and then charged with manslaughter. During the trial, he spent time in prison until he was found not liable. The view on metal shows has changed after this.
5. Robin Thicke and Pharrell vs. Marvin Gaye Estate
The Marvin Gaye estate sued Robin Thicke for copyright infringement for the “Blurred Lines” song. The estate said that the track copied the feel of the “Got to Give It Up” song. Many artists started crediting influences after this. The Gaye estate won $5 million in 2018 when the case was closed.
6. Marilyn Manson v. Joshua Keasler
Back in 2001, Marilyn Manson decided it would be a good idea to hump a security guard’s head while wearing a thong and pantyhose. He then filed the musician for sexual assault and emotional distress intentional infliction. The case was settled out in court later.
7. PMRC Senate Hearing
Back in 1985, an organization known as Parents Music Resource Center wanted to control the way kids could access music that had violence, sex, and drug use themes. They made a “Filthy Fifteen” list that included songs from Black Sabbath, Twisted Sister, and many others. This is why, nowadays, there are parental advisory stickers on some albums’ covers.
Milwaukee is a place where a lot of cases go to trial, and if you decide to be another name on the Milwaukee trial lawyers list, you may have to handle a case like the ones in this article. Musician court cases can be challenging and change the music industry forever, as you could see in this article.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
