It's gotten beyond ridiculous. It is one of the reasons you can't get songs heard by ANYBODY you don't know. They are simply not going to risk a copyright lawsuit. One of the reasons for the "Blurred Lines" suit. is because the writers talked about it in intereviews about how much they loved Marvin Gaye and that is was a tribute to him. That caught the attention of the Gaye family, who sued. Was a pretty obscure reference if you ask me, but what do I know?

But if I have to sit through hundreds of rap, hip hop, and other songs that are DIRECT cops of other songs, even using exiting TRACKS on other songs, and THEY don't get sued, I don't know what copyright laws are even for any more. The other night I heard this pop song with the EXACT melody of HEART AND SOUL, that piano piece every one learns when they are first learning piano. It was simply about eight verses from some modern singer that was exactly the same melody.

Personally, it seems like we should just toss out all copyright laws, and forget them, because I don't know how you protect anything any more. And EVERY SINGLE SONG SOUNDS LIKE ANOTHER SONG!!!
But anyone who has a hit is going to be SUED by somebody, who claims they got RIPPED OFF! And the only one's that ever go anywhere is when one hit artists sues another hit artist. Just like anything on the Internet, you put it out there, someone will take what you do, your identity, etc. Ain't technology wonderful?

MAB