The producer behind Madonna’s biggest hit ‘Vogue’ is suing Warner Music Group for unpaid royalties.
Shep Pettibone – who has also worked with the likes of the late George Michael and Sir Elton John in the past – co-wrote and produced the 58-year-old pop megastar’s 1990 single and he believes he is owed the sum of £500,000 as he has claimed they failed to pay him what he deserves.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, Shep says it was in 2012 when he and Warner Brothers were sued after they allegedly swiped the song – which featured on Madonna’s ‘I’m Breathless’ LP – that he felt let down by the label and claims they kept money from him to pay off the massive legal bills for the case, which is said to have cost them more than $700,000.
Shep now has a legal team working for him to get Warner Brothers to pay him what he believes he is rightfully owned for his contribution to Madonna’s chart-topping track.
In 2016, Madonna won the copyright infringement case from 2012.
A company called VMG Salsoul, LLC claimed a tiny part of ‘Vogue’ mirrored that of their 80s song ‘Love Break’.
They alleged that Shep pinched an unlicensed "horn hit" from their popular track and they felt they were owned rights to Madonna’s song.
However, the horns were just 23 seconds long and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit decided to it was too short to take action.
At the time, judge Susan Graber said:
"Defendants copied, at most, a quarter-note single horn hit and a full measure containing rests and a double horn hit. A reasonable jury could not conclude that an average audience would recognise an appropriation of the Love Break composition."
Madonna’s Vogue producer sues Warner Music Group
