The Rolling Stones sued for copyright infringement

13 March 2023, 17:38 | Updated: 20 March 2023, 15:57

A musician has claimed that the band's 2020 single Living In A Ghost Town resembles two of his tracks.

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The Rolling Stones are reportedly being sued for copyright infringement over their latest single.

The legendary rockers released Living In A Ghost Town back in 2020, but a songwriter has since claimed frontman Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards "misappropriated" key elements of two of his songs.

As reported by Classic Rock, songwriter Sergio Garcia Fernandez, who goes by the stage name Angelslang filed a lawsuit against "Michael Phillip Jagger, Keith Richards, Universal Music Group, Inc., BMG Rights Management, LLC and Promopub B.V.Garcia" and claims he gave a demo of the songs to a member of Jagger's family.

The artist also claims that Living In A Ghost Town takes "vocal melodies, the chord progressions, the drum beat patterns, the harmonica parts, the electric bass line parts, the tempos, and other key signatures” from his So Sorry track and the “harmonic and chord progression and melody” from Seed of God.

Billboard reports that according to Fernandez's attorneys: "The immediate family member … confirmed receipt … to the plaintiff via e-mail, and expressed that the musical works of the plaintiff and its style was a sound The Rolling Stones would be interested in using".

They lawyers added that the "defendants never paid plaintiff, nor secured the authorization for the use" of either song.

Listen to The Rolling Stones' Living In A Ghost Town below:

The Rolling Stones - Living In A Ghost Town

Listen to the Angelslang's So Sorry here:

So Sorry | ANGELSLANG

The Rolling Stones' Living In A Ghost Town - which was completed in isolation in London and LA - was released on 23rd April 2020 and marked the band's first original material in eight years.

At the time, Mick Jagger said of the track: "So the Stones were in the studio recording some new material before the lockdown and there was one song we thought would resonate through the times that we’re living in right now."

Kieth Richards added: "So, let's cut a long story short. We cut this track well over a year ago in L.A. for part of a new album, an ongoing thing, and then sh** hit the fan Mick and I decided this one really needed to go to work right now and so here you have it , "Living in a Ghost Town". Stay safe".

According to Billboard: "A rep for The Rolling Stones did not immediately return a request for comment on Friday evening."