On the heels of Marvin Gaye’s family being granted $7.3 million for copyright infringement in the “Blurred Lines” lawsuit, Gaye’s music has received a sales boost.
Over the last two weeks, Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” has sold 10,000 downloads, and according to EW it’s the song’s largest digital-sales week ever, placing it No. 18 on the R&B Digital Songs chart. Of course, this means Gaye’s estate is now making more money because of the lawsuit.
Also receiving a sales boost is Gaye’s Number 1’s album, which is a compilation of his hit songs and includes “Got to Give It Up.” The album is currently on Billboard’s 200, where the album hadn’t appeared in over a decade.
Even though Gaye’s record sales have seen an increase, Gaye’s family is still looking to lock down any further sales of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” the song that was at the heart of the lawsuit.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, the Gayes’ lawyer, Richard Busch, said, “We’ll be asking the court to enter an injunction prohibiting the further sale and distribution of ‘Blurred Lines’ unless and until we can reach an agreement with those guys on the other side about how future monies that are received will be shared. … We’ll be doing that in about a week or so.”
In an open letter written shortly after the verdict, Gaye’s family discussed their feelings about the lawsuit.
“Our dad spent his life writing music—that is his legacy to us all—he wrote from his heart and was a brilliant songwriter, arranger, producer and one-of-a-kind vocalist,” the family wrote. “If he were alive today, we feel he would embrace the technology available to artists and the diverse music choices and spaces accessible to fans who can stream a song at a moment’s notice. But we also know he would be vigilant about safeguarding the artist’s rights; a sacred devotion to not only the artist, but key in encouraging and supporting innovation. He also gave credit where credit is due.”