New York disco and funk label VMG Salsoul is reportedly suing dance music legend Moby for copyright infringement based on samples his used in his self-titled debut album back in 1992…. That’s 22 years ago. They claim that Moby illegally used samples from “Let No Man Put Asunder” by Philadelphia girl group First Choice in two of his tracks – “Next is the E” and “Thousand.”
The case targets Moby as well as Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Warner Music Group, and Knitting Factory Records. Salsoul is demanding damages of up to $150,000 for each infringement plus profits and attorney’s fees.
This isn’t the first time that Salsoul has gone after artists over copyright complaints. They also claimed that Madonna used unlicensed samples in her track “Vogue,” and are currently appealing the court’s decision. In this case, it was ruled that Salsoul had no valid claims because “no reasonable audience would find the sampled portions qualitatively or quantitatively significant in relation to the infringing work, nor would they recognize the appropriation.”
Listen to the tracks below and let us know what you think about Salsoul's claims.