Mariah Carey was sued on Friday for her 1994 holiday song All I Want for Christmas Is You about the claim that she appropriated the song from an earlier version.
Andy Stone, also known as Vince Vance from country band Vince Vance & the Valiants, has filed a lawsuit in New Orleans federal court claiming that he co-wrote a song with the same title five years before Carey. . He is seeking $20 million in damages for alleged copyright infringement and misappropriation from Carey, her co-writer Walter Afanasieff, and Sony Music Entertainment.
Stone co-wrote and recorded the Vince Vance & the Valiants version of All I Want for Christmas Is You in 1989, according to the lawsuit. He claimed the song received “wide airplay” in 1993 and “started appearing on the Billboard Music Charts.”
Carey’s version was released in 1994 on her Merry Christmas album. The two songs have different lyrics and melody.
Stone alleges the defendants illegally exploited his “unique popularity and style” and caused confusion with the audience by recording newer songs without his permission. .
Carey’s version of All I Want for Christmas Is You hard to miss during the holiday season, receiving widespread coverage on the radio and on streaming services. The song has topped the Billboard Hot 100 every year since 2019.
All I Want for Christmas Is You is Carey’s 19th #1 song, one song behind the Beatles.
It’s unclear when Stone first learned of Carey’s song, although his complaint recounts that Stone’s attorneys contacted the defendants in April 2021 about unauthorized use. accused. They “couldn’t come to any agreement.”
Carey, Sony Music and Stone have yet to issue a public statement about the lawsuit.
Read more:
Alan Cross: How do we solve a problem like Mariah?
This legal challenge to Carey’s hit song comes amid an increase in copyright lawsuits against popular music artists.
In March, Dua Lipa was sued twice for her song Flying. In April, Ed Sheeran won in court after it was alleged that his hit song Your shape plagiarized another work.
“While we are clearly pleased with the outcome, claims like these are all too common now,” Sheeran said after winning the lawsuit.
– With files from Reuters
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
