The plaintiff is blaming it on Grande’s record label.
Another day, another copyright infringement case pinned against a ubiquitous pop song. This time around, it’s Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj’s hit single “Side to Side” off of the former’s 2016 album Dangerous Woman. A new lawsuit filed in court recently alleges that the team behind that particular song had copied a similar-sounding track by Christopher R. O’Connor called “J5 (T6).”
O’Connor believes that a record executive at UMG, the label that’s home to Grande, got wind of his track and decided to repurpose it for another, more famous artist. He has since brought the case to the record label, who instructed him to send in a demo for assessment. However, the company does not believe that any aspect of the arrangement was appropriated for Grande’s advantage.
O’Connor also alleges that UMG had discovered his music online, and has used elements of his compositions to produce singles for other artists including Taylor Swift and Mike Shinoda. He’s effectively suing the record label and is asking for royalties from “Side to Side,” as well as a songwriting credit.
Listen to O’Connor’s demo below and see for yourself whether or not he has a case.
