If Ed Sheeran wants to quit music, that’s fine by me

As one king ascends to the throne this weekend, another altogether more fed-
up pop monarch is threatening to abdicate from his. Equally as fond of a crowd-
courting world tour and possibly just as polarising, it’s not a trial by public opinion
that Ed Sheeran’s next moves depend on, however, but a good old-fashioned US
federal one.

For those unaware of recent developments in the multi-million-selling

musician’s life, a longstanding copyright lawsuit filed in 2017 against Sheeran’s
mega-hit “Thinking Out Loud” is currently being argued over in a Manhattan court.
In one corner, the heirs of songwriter Ed Townshend, composer of Marvin Gaye’s
saucy slow jam “Let’s Get It On”, and their claim that the singer knowingly ripped
the track off; in the other, Sheeran’s argument that, essentially, all songs sound a
bit like other songs – a theory that, listening to his back catalogue, it would be hard
to disagree with.

This isn’t Sheeran’s first legal rodeo. The same year that the Townshends filed
their grievance, Ed also settled out of court over claims that his song “Photograph”
was a “note for note copy” of X Factor winner Matt Cardle’s “Amazing”. A continuation
on a theme, last year he won a similar plagiarism lawsuit over his “Shape Of You”.
Cross him thrice, however, and Sheeran has clearly had enough. “If that happens,
I’m done,” he said in response to the possibility of the jury finding against him. “I’m
stopping.”

Should it happen, you can imagine the public reaction to Ed’s bow out as a
pretty manageable clean-up: news stories of fans howling down dedicated helplines
in abject grief replaced with reports of Ticketmaster shares dropping overnight. You
would probably get between one and three links to the news on a family WhatsApp
group accompanied by a sad face emoji. Magic FM would up their rotation to three
tracks per hour.

I, for one, would not shed a tear. That it’s difficult to truly picture a seismic
cultural fallout to a musical landscape shorn of Sheeran is why maybe it’s about time.
We’re not saying it’s entirely Everyman Ed’s fault that the 1980s had David Bowie
whereas, for years now, the modus operandi of any aspiring British male pop star
have been to be as thoroughly, unprovocatively normal as possible. But in the
shadows of Sheeran's chart supremacy it seems like, to be a bestseller, your brand
must go bland.
Guide Question:

1. How does plagiarism take place in that incident?

The heirs of songwriter Ed Townshend are suing Ed Sheeran claiming that his
hit song “Thinking Out Loud” plagiarized Townshend’s track “Let’s Get It On”. They
argue that Sheeran knowingly copied the melody, rhytm, harmony, and baseline
without permission. The heirs assert that the similarities are not coincidental and
that Sheeran had access Townshend works. They claim financial harm due to the
success of “Thinking Out Loud”. They may present musicologists and witnesses
as evidence. Sheeran’s defense may argue that the similarities are coincidental
and part of common musical language. They may emphasize Sheeran’s unique
style and talent. This plagiarism incident is currently on going, the court will decide
if the similarities constitute copyright infringement or acceptable inspiration, with
potential implications for the music industry.
2. How can the characters involve in that scenario address plagiarism?
As the issue roles on court, the plagiarism lawsuit against Ed Sheeran has brought
attention to the issue of plagiarism in the music industry. If the court determines
that the similarities between “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” constitute
copyright infringement, it could have significant implications for the entire
industry. Sheeran’s defense may argue that the similarities are coincidental and
a result of a common musical language. They may claim that many songs share
similar elements and that artists often draw inspiration from previous works.
However, the heirs of Ed Townshend may present evidence from musicologists
and witnesses to support their claim that Sheeran knowingly copied various
aspects of “Let Get It On”. They may argue that Sheeran had access to
Townshend’s work and that the similarities are too significant to be coincidental.
Ultimately, the court will decide whether the similarities amount to copy right
infringement or acceptable inspiration. This decision will have far-reaching
implications for music industry, as it will help define the boundaries of originality
and plagiarism.

SOURCE:
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/ed-sheeran-plagiarism-thinking-out-
loud-verdict-b2332341.html