Ed Sheeran is ready to bid the music industry a farewell if things go left with this copyright infringement case involving his Grammy-winning single, “Thinking Out Loud” and Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend’s timeless ballad, “Let’s Get It On.”
According to the New York Post, the pop phenom had weighted remarks regarding the larger impact this legal action has had on him and how he’d react if he loses this lawsuit.
“If that happens, I’m done—I’m stopping,” said Sheeran, 32, in court on Monday (May 1). “I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.”
The singer adamantly denies copying any part of the R&B classic. During his testimony last Tuesday (April 25), Sheeran argued, “If I had done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that […] Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs … You could go from ‘Let It Be’ to ‘No Woman, No Cry’ and switch back,” referring to songs by The Beatles and Bob Marley.
Sheeran, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Publishing are being sued by the heirs of Townsend, who is listed as the primary songwriter of “Let’s Get It On,” and reportedly earned two-thirds of the royalties from it, per The New York Times. Sheeran slammed their musicologist Alexander Stewart, after he tried to claim that the first 24 seconds of “Thinking Out Loud” were similar to the beginning of “Let’s Get It On.”
“If I have to be honest, what he’s doing here is criminal,” said the British singer-songwriter, prior to questioning Stewart’s credentials. “…I don’t know how he could be an expert. Obviously, just my opinion here.”
If Sheeran is found liable, there will be a separate trial to determine how much is owed. Townsend’s estate is requesting $100 million in damages.
