LAS VEGAS, July 14, 2016 – Professional singer and songwriter Alisa Apps officially filed a lawsuit against the world's largest music company, Universal Music Group, as well as British pop star John Newman, who is on their Island Records label. Superstar recording artist and music mogul Jay-Z is also involved in this case. 

According to Apps' lawyers, Philip P. Mann & Tim Billick from Mann Law Group, the basis of the lawsuit is copyright infringement of Apps' song Need To Know. 

The stolen song, Love Me Again by John Newman, debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart in July of 2013. It was nominated for the British Single of the Year at the 2014 BRIT Awards, and nominated for the 2014 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

Compare the songs for yourself: 

Need to Know and Love Me Again                                                                             
https://youtu.be/pwzJ4LVwZ4c      

Apps, who wrote Need to Know in 2007 and had it copyrighted in February of that year, uploaded the song to YouTube in 2008 and made it available for sale online. 

She met recording artist Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter) at The Sports Club/LA in 2009, where they had a long conversation that ended in her giving him a recording of her song Need to Know. This was for his consideration and to engage in a potential business relationship. The rapper runs Roc Nation, which is under the Universal Music umbrella.  
  
Apps says that by unlawful copying, use and distribution, UMG (of which Jay-Z is a part) and John Newman have violated Apps’s exclusive rights. UMG and John Newman have realized unjust profits, gains and advantages as a proximate result of its infringement. 
  
 “Newman’s song made him a household name,” Alisa commented. 
  
Apps filed suit against UMG and John Newman for the damages she has sustained and will sustain, as well as any gains, profits and advantages obtained by acts of infringement and use and publication of the copied work.

Universal Music Group has a long history of theft accusations from indie artists. Will Loomis found his song Bright Red Chords lifted by Universal Music Group for their British singer Jessie J's number one single Domino in 2012. Marvin Gaye's family has recently won a $7 million judgment against the company after Pharrell and Robin Thicke copied Gaye's 1977 hit Got to Give It Up, and more cases are on the way. In May of this year, Casey Dienel filed for copyright infringement against Universal artist Justin Bieber and producer Skrillex for sampling her song Ring the Bell in Bieber's hit song Sorry.  

Stealing music is not exclusive to Universal. Lawyer Richard Busch, who won the case against Pharrell and Thicke, has recently accepted a case from Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard who claim that the Atlantic artist Ed Sheeran plagiarized their song Amazing to create his top ten hit Photograph. 

Apps says, "I fully believe their copying my song Need To Know earned UMG great profits and won them coveted awards, and helped Newman top the charts globally and in the USA. It's the song that launched his career. But it’s my song!" 

She continues, "When major record companies have to resort to stealing songs to achieve number one hits, their creative process is very clearly dead. The world can see where the true talent lies. As I sing in my song Victory Lap: 'Cooked music business got no talent.'" 

She continued, "I want to remind those who support me that this is not the first time this has happened. In the future, I expect to expose how unfair and crooked these pop stars and major record labels are!" 

Apps, famous for her million-dollar sing-off challenge with Lady Gaga, has been featured on MTV, and in Billboard and Glamour magazines. She has performed at private parties for Gigi Hadid’s dad Mohamed, along with countless other shows. A professionally trained boxer, Apps is also known in the Las Vegas boxing community as the “Woman (Muhammad) Ali.” World-famous boxers Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Sr. and Roy Jones, Jr. are among her friends and fans.   

For more information on Alisa Apps, contact Jill Beaverson at 314-281-4458 or mediasharkpr@gmail.com.