Concerning a copyright trial over the writing and production credits on his 2020 chart-topper, ‘Savage Love,’ Jason Derulo has come out on top.
On Thursday (5.07,). a Los Angeles jury handed down a verdict rejecting the claims brought by session musician Matthew Spatola against Derulo and Columbia Records.
Per the court’s decision, Spatola is not entitled to any royalties from ‘Savage Love,’ a viral TikTok hit from August 2020 that was #1 charter on the Billboard Hot 100 with a remix featuring BTS.
Spatola, who played guitar and bass on the track, argued that he also had a hand in crafting the instrumentals and was therefore entitled to writing and production splits.
In response, Derulo testifyed in court that Spatola just played what he was told and “created absolutely nothing” for the song.
For his efforts Spatola was paid a $2,000 fee for two studio sessions in April 2020, but he and the superstar singer/songwriter did not sign a ‘work-for-hire’ agreement, which would have confirmed that the musician did not have authorship rights even if he contributed to the song. All that was on record was a text from Derulo asking, “1K good each day?”
Taking three years in the court system, after deliberating for just over a day, jurors ultimately sided with Derulo
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Author: Al Dente
Photo: Warner Music New Zealand