Post Malone has one less issue on his hands, as a copyright lawsuit regarding his 2019 hit “Circles” has now been settled – and just narrowly avoided going to trial.
The suit stemmed from a songwriter who had alleged he co-created the beat and didn’t receive proper compensation or credit. According to court documents obtained by The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday (March 21), news that the matter was settled was handed down as the court was in the process of selecting a jury. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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In his suit, plaintiff Tyler Armes referenced an August 2018 recording session with Post where the Canadian rocker reportedly co-wrote the keyboard chords and the guitar melody and had “significant input” on the bassline.
According to him, all the instrumentation and vocal melodies in the song recorded that night are “note for note rhythmically and melodically identical” to the final version of the song.
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He said he was then offered only a five percent share of publishing royalties when he reached out to producer Frank Dukes after the song dropped. Post’s manager, Dre London, allegedly shut down negotiations for a higher share and threatened to withdraw the offer if it wasn’t accepted.
The four day trial was set to feature witnesses playing instruments on the stand. Post was also expected to testify.
In his filed response, Post argued that Armes didn’t write any of the music used in the finished song and wasn’t present at future recording sessions.
“It is an age-old story in the music business that when a song earns the type of runaway success that ‘Circles’ has garnered, an individual will come out of the woodwork, falsely claim to take credit for the song, and demand unwarranted and unearned windfall profits from the song,” Post’s response read.
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“Circles” was a major success on the charts, and even broke a personal record for Post Malone for most weeks in the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10. In the last week of April 2020, the track reached its 34th week in the Top 10 – surpassing the previous high mark attained by his Swae Lee collaboration “Sunflower.”
Prior to then, Malone’s songs “Circles” and “Sunflower” were part of a four-way tie for most weeks in the Top 10. Maroon 5’s Cardi B-assisted “Girls Like You” and Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” also spent 33 weeks in the Top 10.
