Mach-Hommy and Your Old Droog Get Their Genius Lyrics Taken Down, Citing Copyright
Mach-Hommy’s lyrics have been removed from Genius after the Newark rapper claimed copyright protection on his words, as journalist Andrew “Noz” Nosnitsky notes. Brooklyn rapper Your Old Droog has also gotten his lyrics removed from the website, Pitchfork can confirm.
When reached by Pitchfork, Your Old Droog stated, “The lyrics were removed for a multitude of reasons.” In addition, when contacted, a Genius spokesperson sent the following statement:
Our team received a [Digital Millennium Copyright Act] Notice from this artist and their team several months ago and fulfilled the request. It’s very important to us that artists and songwriters are compensated for the use of their lyrics, which is why Genius has licensing agreements in place with all the major music publishers as well as the National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), which represents independent publishers. We can’t comment on conversations with specific artists, but in the rare case that an artist is not covered under these licensing agreements, we endeavor to work directly with their teams to get them under license.
Publishers typically control the copyrights for songwriting and lyrics. Genius is able to publish most artists’ copyright lyrics due to a 2014 licensing agreement with the National Music Publishers’ Association. The site had previously struck a licensing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2013.
Famously, Mach-Hommy independently sells most of his music at high price points. For example, 2017’s Fete Des Morts AKA Dia De Los Muertos EP, which was largely produced by Earl Sweatshirt, retails on Mach-Hommy’s website for $666.67.
This year, Your Old Droog enlisted Mach-Hommy and DOOM for a new song called “RST.” As you might expect, the lyrics are not on Genius.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
