London-based indie label 2Point9 Records says it has filed a lawsuit in the UK against Sony Music Entertainment-owned label Ministry of Sound Recordings, alleging copyright infringement over DJ Regard’s 2019 remix hit Ride It.
2Point9 says Regard’s Ride It remix “substantially sampled” Jay Sean’s original version of the song, released in 2008, and that Ministry of Sound Recordings knew in advance of the release that it contained an unauthorized sample of the original.
Regard’s remix was originally posted to TikTok in 2019, and became a viral hit. Ministry of Sound quickly released the track, and it became a major hit, reaching No. 2 on the UK singles chart and No. 3 on the US Billboard Top 100 Hot Dance/Electronic chart.
In a statement issued on Wednesday (June 12), 2Point9 said it had been “willing to discuss terms for the use of its master recording but… Ministry of Sound Recordings chose not to enter into any meaningful commercial discussions, electing instead to proceed with its release.”
Regard’s Ride It has more than 1.3 billion streams on Spotify, and various videos of the song have been viewed more than 500 million times on YouTube. Jay Sean’s original Ride It has more than 97 million streams on Spotify, and video versions on YouTube have around 75 million views.
2Point9 alleges that Ministry of Sound Recording knew in June 2019, a month before the remix track’s official release, that the Ride It remix posted to TikTok contained un unauthorized sample of Jay Sean’s vocals, infringing on the recording copyright of the original song.
The label also alleges that Ministry of Sound Recordings initially claimed to 2Point9 that it had re-recorded the track, before later admitting that it the track contained the unauthorized Jay Sean sample.
2point9 further alleges that, several months after the remix’s release, Ministry of Sound replaced the infringing track with one that had re-recorded vocals that didn’t infringe the recording copyright – but not before the track racked up 150 million streams on Spotify and tens of millions of views on YouTube.
“The parties have since been unable to find a commercial solution leaving 2Point9 with no recourse other than the High Court,” 2Point9 said in its statement.
“Throughout the entire time we have been pursuing this claim, Ministry of Sound Recordings has treated our label with arrogance and dismissiveness.”
Biilly Grant, 2Point9 Records
“We have been fighting our corner on this matter for five years now and won’t stop until we get justice,” 2Point9 co-founder Billy Grant said.
“Throughout the entire time we have been pursuing this claim, Ministry of Sound Recordings has treated our label with arrogance and dismissiveness, and the irony is not lost on us that before its acquisition by Sony Music Entertainment, Ministry of Sound Recordings was an independent label itself.”
He continued: “Why they think that this kind of behavior against a small label is acceptable is bewildering. However, we are determined to make them realize that it is not OK to ride roughshod over the commercial rights of those in the independent sector and that there are consequences for doing so. Commencing legal action is the next step in that process.”
Ministry of Sound Recordings started out in 1993 as the recording label of famed London nightclub Ministry of Sound. Its roster today includes London Grammar and Doja Cat.
The label was acquired by Sony Music Entertainment UK in 2016, for GBP £67 million (USD $104 million at the exchange rate at the time).
2Point9 was launched in 2003 by Billy Grant, A&R manager at Telstar Records, and Rob Stuart, a Telstar promotions manager. The label is credited with bringing such acts as Craig David, Mis-Teeq and Jay Sean to prominence.Music Business Worldwide