Looks like Adele‘s hit “Million Years Ago” is about to become a thing of the past. A Brazilian judge has dropped the hammer on the Grammy-winning singer’s 2015 track, ordering it to be yanked from radio and streaming services worldwide.
The drama kicked off when Brazilian singer-songwriter Toninho Geraes, 62, claimed Adele’s tune was a bit too similar to his 1996 banger “Mulheres”, sung by the legendary Martinho da Vila. Geraes reckoned Adele’s track is more copycat than coincidence, and now a judge in Brazil is backing him up.
Here are the sounds if you’d like to do a comparison:
Judge Victor Torres didn’t muck around, issuing a preliminary injunction that’s got Adele’s record labels, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music, scrambling. They’ve been told to pull the plug on “Million Years Ago” across the globe immediately, including radio and streaming platforms streaming. There will be an $8000 fine “per act of non-compliance” from Adele’s labels.
Geraes’ lawyer, Fredimio Trotta, is very happy about the win. He reckons it’s a “landmark for Brazilian music which has often been copied to compose successful international hits”, per The Times. Trotta hopes this will make overseas musicians think twice before “borrowing” from Brazilian tunes.
“The decision interrupts this harmful, criminal act, and now time is running out against those being prosecuted. Because interrupted plagiarism is plagiarism that doesn’t make a profit,” Trotta told Sky News.
Geraes is also suing for lost royalties, a cool $160,000 in damages, and wants his name in the credits of Adele’s song.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time “Million Years Ago” has raised eyebrows. Back when it first dropped, some Turkish fans reckoned it sounded a bit too much like “Acilara Tutunmak”, a 1985 tune by Kurdish singer Ahmet Kaya.
As for Adele? No word yet from her camp, but you can bet she’s probably not rolling in the deep with joy over this one.
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