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Anjunabeats release statement against Will.i.am
Monday 15th July 2013 | jack
If you will excuse the irony, it’s all starting to sound a bit like a broken record for Will.i.am and his label Interscope Records. ‘Let’s Go’; a track featuring Chris Brown on Will.i.am’s new album #Willpower, marks the latest in a series of tracks the Black Eyed Peas front man has been accused of stealing from other artists.
Arty and Mat Zo of Anjunabeats released ‘Rebound’ in 2011 which was then sampled on ‘Let’s Go’ by Will.I.am instigating a row over his abuse of Anjunabeats’ copyright and ownership of the track.
Seeing as this is not the first time Interscope have been accused of taking what’s not theirs, you would think that they would be more careful with what they release. However it would seem that both Will.I.Am and pop relic Chris Brown are oblivious to the concept of etiquette within the dance music community. In response to anger at the scandal from Anjunabeats fans Chris Brown tweeted:"I don't even know who mat zo Or arty is I aint got s--t to do wit if ur mad or not. Someone asked for a feature on a record and I did it…. I don’t listen to that s--t half the time anyway.”
Will claimed to have contacted Arty after hearing ‘Rebound’ expressing an interest in collaborating. Although he never received sample clearance for use of the track, Will explained in an interview with Associated Press that “You can't steal if you credited somebody" referring to the small mention he gave Arty in the sleeve notes of the record.
Unfortunately for Will this is not the case and Anjunabeats have responded against him saying: "As has been widely reported, a large section of 'Rebound' was sampled on Will.i.am's track...and this took place without the permission of Anjunabeats or Arty & Mat Zo.Although Arty (but not Mat Zo) was credited in the sleeve notes, this is not the same as obtaining permission. To present someone else's work as your own, you need to seek permission, agree terms and file paperwork, which has not happened in this case.We've remained silent on this issue until now but as a record label it is our obligation to protect our artists' interests and we felt it was necessary to respond to some of the inaccuracies that have been reported following Will.i.am's recent comments to Associated Press."
Whether or not Anjunabeats will take legal action against Interscope is uncertain but Will.i.am seems to think this kind of thing happens all the time and is of no real importance. As he eloquently puts it: “That happens a bunch of times. Where legal takes so long but creative is instantaneous.”
Jack Rogers
