#TheWeeklyRoundUp - 14.04.23

Sony Music Ordered to Pay $160 Million Over 2017 Shooting at Cousin Stizz Concert (Digital Music News)

A Georgia jury has handed down a $160 million verdict against Sony Music for the company’s alleged “role in failing to protect” the victims of a deadly shooting that occurred at a Cousin Stizz concert in 2017.

A jury in DeKalb County, Georgia, found Sony partially liable for the incident earlier this month, though the multimillion-dollar verdict had largely flown under the radar until today. The fatal shooting at the center of the case took place at Underground Atlanta’s Masquerade venue in November of 2017, during a show headlined by Cousin Stizz.

Before the Boston-born rapper (who’s released multiple albums via Sony Music’s RCA) started performing, an attendee shot four individuals, according to local reports. Regional outlets likewise indicated that the deadly occurrence had followed a brief dispute, and 23-year-old Jonathan Bautista was reportedly arrested in connection with the shooting.

Two of the victims, 21-year-old Ewell Ynoa and 22-year-old Giovan Diaz, both of whom were reportedly aspiring rappers, perished due to their wounds. Rachel St. Fleur, the administrator of Ewell Ynoa’s estate, sued in June of 2018, and Xavier Diaz, who was representing the estate of Giovan Diaz, filed a separate complaint. The suits were ultimately consolidated and heard at the recent trial.

“They argued a little bit and left it as is,” Ewell Ynoa’s brother told Fox 5 Atlanta of the verbal exchange that preceded the shooting, which reportedly unfolded as the victims were on stage and hyping up the crowd. “Something that didn’t even last a minute. And then from there, they ended up getting killed.”

As initially mentioned, Sony Music has now been ordered to pay $160 million for its alleged failure to protect those who attended the show.

Montgomery, Alabama-headquartered law firm Beasley Allen detailed the verdict via a formal release, and in a statement, attorney Parker Miller acknowledged that the trial had been “incredibly emotional” for the victims’ families and friends.

“Obviously, these types of cases do not come around often. This was a mass shooting in a crowded concert. There were multiple deaths, and Gio and Wells suffered significantly before losing their fight for life, as eyewitnesses outlined,” Miller said.

“The trial was incredibly emotional because of what these families, and the world, lost. One of these men had been told he would be a father just a few hours before the shooting happened. Combine that with the fact the concert endangered everyone, and this Defendant refused to participate in the legal process, and you get the type of verdict we saw here,” he finished.

At the time of this writing, Sony Music didn’t appear to have addressed the verdict in a formal release or a post on its website. About 10 days prior, multiple individuals passed away (with many others having suffered injuries) as a result of a crowd crush at London’s Brixton Academy. The Brixton has since shut down.

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Diddy says that he has to pay Sting $5,000 a day for his use of the Every Breath You Take sample in I’ll Be Missing You (music radar)

Diddy has seemingly confirmed that he has to pay Sting $5,000 a day for his use of the Every Breath You Take sample in I’ll Be Missing You, his 1997 hit (as Puff Daddy) with Faith Evans.

The song was created in tribute to Diddy’s great friend, The Notorious BIG, who had recently been murdered, and went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time. However, when it was released, Diddy hadn’t sought Sting’s permission to use the sample, and the matter had to be settled after the fact. The result was that Sting was awarded 100% of the song’s royalties.

In a 2018 interview with The Breakfast Club, Sting was asked about the matter and confirmed that, because of his use of the sample - and, presumably, the fact that I’ll Be Missing You’s chorus also interpolates Every Breath You Take’s Melody - Diddy has to pay him $2,000 a day “for the rest of his life”.

However, a clip of this interview has recently resurfaced, and Diddy has now issued a correction on Twitter. “Nope, 5K a day,” he said. “Love to my brother Sting!”

The post was made in good humour, it seems. Diddy is said to get on pretty well with Sting these days; even back in 1997, the pair were on good enough terms to perform a mash-up of I’ll Be Missing You and Every Breath You Take with Faith Evans at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Police guitarist Andy Summers, though - the man who played the iconic Every Breath You Take riff that plays a key role in I’ll Be Missing You's beat - wasn’t able to cash in. Sting takes the sole songwriting credit on The Police’s track, meaning that he alone takes the resulting royalties.