Fans of the show, critics, and even Paula Abdual expressed excitement over Ellen DeGeneres’ hiring at “American Idol.” The music industry, however, has chosen the perfect opportunity to stick it to her. Apparently, the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” has been illegally using copyrighted music during her infamous dance intermissions.
Some of the world’s largest recording companies are suing “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” claiming producers violated their copyrights by playing more than 1,000 songs without permission.
Scott Rowe, spokesman for the show’s Telepictures Productions, wrote in an e-mailed statement that the company has been working with the record labels for months to resolve the issue and remains willing to resolve it on “amicable and reasonable terms.”
The suit claims the daytime talk show has used copyrighted music without permission since its inception, including “recordings by virtually every major current artist of popular music.” It claims the show routinely used some of the most popular songs of the day, which the record labels don’t license for daytime television at any price.
Other songs cited in the lawsuit include Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”; The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” and Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.”
Are you freaking kidding me? The show’s dance segments aren’t advertising a product — it’s just part of the show. If anything, it’s free promotion. Ellen’s audience provides a large demographic consisting of individuals who probably rarely listen to music she’s playing. The labels should be thankful. It’s one thing to use songs by indie artists or if they’re used in a distasteful manner. But she’s not. The songs, from my understanding, are usually brainless pop numbers. And that’s quite an accomplishment: The show played “recordings by virtually ever major artist of popular music.” Give me a break. I’m sure Will Smith is having a fit.
Nevertheless, this isn’t great news for Ellen directly after signing on with “American Idol.”
