Post Malone makes a last-minute settlement for the “Circles” copyright suit
The trial was set to feature witnesses playing instruments on the stand before it was settled as a jury was being selected.
Post Malone has reportedly reached a settlement in a copyright lawsuit brought by a musician who claimed to have co-written his 2019 hit “Circles,” but was not credited or compensated for his contributions. The court documents filed on Tuesday did not disclose the terms of the settlement, but it was announced during jury selection.
The lawsuit revolved around an August 2018 recording session between Tyler Armes, a member of the Canadian rock band Down With Webster, and Austin Post, also known as Post Malone. Armes alleged that he co-wrote the keyboard chords, guitar melody, and bassline of the song and had significant input on the creation of the song.
Although the lyrics had not yet been completed, Armes argued that all the instrumentation and vocal melodies in the song recorded that night were “note for note rhythmically and melodically identical” to the final version of the song.
According to the complaint filed in 2020 in California federal court, Armes reached out to producer Frank Dukes after the song was released and was offered a five percent share of publishing royalties. However, Dre London, Post’s manager, allegedly shut down negotiations for a higher share and threatened to withdraw the offer if it wasn’t accepted. In response, Armes moved for a declaration that he was a co-writer and co-producer of “Circles,” which would have entitled him to retroactive and prospective royalties if the court had agreed.
In April, U.S. District Judge Otis Wright ruled that Armes had “no claim of authorship in the commercial release” of the song, but he “demonstrates genuine disputes in regard to his authorship in the session composition.” As a result, the case was consolidated with another lawsuit filed by Post in New York federal court, and witnesses were expected to play instruments on the stand during the trial.
The settlement has brought an end to the legal dispute between the parties, but the terms of the agreement remain undisclosed. It is unclear whether Armes received the credit and compensation he sought or whether Post Malone and his team made any concessions in settling the case.
Nonetheless, the settlement marks the end of a legal battle that threatened to expose the inner workings of the music industry and shed light on the role of co-writers and co-producers in the creation of hit songs.
“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,” stated the complaint.
For three weeks, the song held the top spot on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Requests for comment from Post and Armes’ attorneys went unanswered.