Andy Stone, Mariah Carey.Photo: Facebook; Samir Hussein/WireImage
Andy Stone, a New Orleans-born musician who performs as Vince Vance and the Valiants, filed a civil lawsuit against Carey, co-writer Walter Afanasieff, and Sony Music Entertainment in the Eastern District of Louisiana on Friday, alleging “copyright infringement and unjust enrichment” over a successful song — also titled “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — he co-wrote in Nashville and released in 1989.
The singer-songwriter claims his “All I Want for Christmas Is You” — which features vocals from Lisa Layne — received “extensive airplay” on the radio during the 1993 Christmas season, which propelled the country song to No. 55 onBillboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart the following year.
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In the court filing, Stone, whose exact age is unknown, is said to be a self-employed artist who makes a living selling, performing, and licensing his copyrighted music.
Stone’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is a guitar-led country ballad, while Carey’s is an uptempo pop track, and the two songs don’t share lyrics aside from the title. Despite their musical and lyrical differences, the filing claims the defendants, Carey, Afansieff, and Sony, “never sought or obtained permission” to use the song’s title. Additionally, it states that Stone never gave permission, consent, or a license to use the title.
According to the court document, Stone’s lawyers claim they initially reached out to Carey and the other defendants in April 2021 regarding “the unauthorized use of the song.” After “not being able to come to an agreement” about the usage, Stone made a personal request to send a cease and desist to Carey, whom he claims continues to “exploit” his work despite the cautionary letter.
Stone’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” only continued to chart amongstBillboard’s Hot Country Singles & Tracks through 2000, but the song received a bump in relevance in 2020 whenKelly Clarksonreleased a cover version, which was later included on her 2021 album,When Christmas Comes Around…
source: people.com
