Ed Sheeran wins copyright trial and surprises NYC with street concert.

Ed Sheeran Rocks NYC with Impromptu Street Concert After Winning Copyright Trial

What Happened?

Ed Sheeran, the 32-year-old singer-songwriter, celebrated his victory in a copyright trial by putting on an impromptu street concert in New York City. The lawsuit, in which the estate of Marvin Gaye accused Sheeran of copying the 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On” when he composed the Grammy Award-winning single, “Thinking Out Loud,” had threatened to end his career. But Sheeran won, prompting him to hop onto a car in SoHo and play six songs on his guitar as screaming fans cheered him on.

What Did He Play?

The musician serenaded the crowd with major hits, including “Thinking Out Loud,” the song at the center of the lawsuit. A fan captured the moment and shared it on Twitter, saying, “bruh I was walking thru nyc and randomly found ed sheeran performing on top of a car wtf? lmao.”

What Was the Lawsuit About?

Gaye’s estate, represented by attorney Ben Crump, insisted that Sheeran copied the “melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bass line, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping” of “Let’s Get It On.” It sued for $100 million. Sheeran countered that the chord progression in question, 1-3-4-5, is common in pop songs. The musician played several songs from the stand which all featured the same chords.

What Did Sheeran Say?

The British musician expressed frustration with the lawsuit and trial, saying, “I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.” He also said he missed his late grandmother’s funeral to appear in court. “We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords, which are also different and are used by songwriters every day, all over the world,” Sheeran said in a video posted on Instagram. “They are in a songwriter’s alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use. No one owns them or the way they’re played in the same way no one owns the color blue.”

What’s Next?

Sheeran’s victory in the lawsuit is a win for all songwriters who use common chord progressions in their music. As he said, “They are in a songwriter’s alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use.” We can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.