Music | October 13, 2009 | 1 comment

Beyonce and Sony Steal Indie Artist's Copyrighted Content

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"Listen Beyonce, I'm a let you finish.. You had one of the best videos of all time. But at least Taylor Swift writes all of the songs that she claims to write.."

I have always been a fan of Destiny's Child and the solo pieces from each of the remaining three members. It has been a beautiful thing to watch over the last decade. I love watching people Horatio Alger their way to success. It is the American Dream. I enjoy watching others achieve it while I am still on my way up. But I have definitely also been a hater of Beyonce, the person. She has great media training but there is something about 'the real her' that 'really' annoys me. That aside, I have never been able to deny that she is a very talented young woman. She has a beautiful voice and her songwriting credits are extensive. So I'm a lover and a hater.

Now, let us find out that SonyBMG has been involved in some old-fashioned corporate thuggery, hacking an indie artists computer and stealing music and video treatments from independent artists and passing the content on to artists signed to the major label. Madonna and Beyonce are two of the biggest players in the music industry and have been involved with this type of claim this entire decade, although major media outlets have barely reported on the matter. I knew that there was something funny about Beyonce and I feel like my intense hate has been vindicated. She and her former-manager/father, Matthew Knowles, have been taking a lot of credit for the hard work of others in the music industry. They have been wildly successful, that is for certain. But as with all major wealth, to acquire the multi-million dollar fortunes the old saying goes: "If you ain't cheatin', you ain't tryin'."

http://www.judiciaryreport.com/butt_shaking_beyonce_strikes_again.htm

Accessing unreleased copyrights on a private, protected computer, then using it to enrich yourself to the tune of millions, constitutes:

Felony hacking (you commission or participate in a crime, you did it)
Copyright infringement
Criminal copyright infringement
Fraud
Grand theft larceny
Violation of the Computer Abuse Act
Violation of the Digital Millennium Act
Violations of the RICO Act
Money Laundering
Conspiracy

I understand artistic license and being inspired by another artist, etc. The problem lies when one passes the ideas on as their own without giving proper credit where it is due. Knowles has 'forgotten' to pay the Wilhwlmina Artist Management $88,000 for brokering her $900,000 L'Oreal contract in April 2001. Knowles and family gave Greg Walker of Icon Entertainment the slip to the tune of $25,000 for his services rendered in brokering the $15,000,000 fashion deal for the House of Dereon in 2004. She has publicly claimed to have written "Crazy in Love" and "Irreplaceable," though they were actually written by their respective producers Greg Harrison and Ne-yo. Fans may also be saddened to hear of the ongoing litigation involving such hits as "Survivor", "Baby Boy", and "Independent Women." It should be noted that Beyonce fired her father from her manager position back in 2007 and Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland followed suit in January 2009. Millions of dollars in royalties are deserving of the plaintiffs, independent artists doing just that: creating art. But decide for yourself.

Blogs and the internets have tried their best to disseminate the message but we all know how easy it is to discredit independent news outlets, especially weblogs.
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    Entertainment,   Music,   Max and Jason: Still Up
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    Music Law Fraud Lawsuit 6 more
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