On July 23rd, ADOR posted a statement on their official Instagram regarding the recent plagiarism controversy, saying, “It’s important that we set the record straight and intend to address the issue in full in this statement.“
Regarding the “Bubble Gum” plagiarism controversy, ADOR explained, “The music video for ‘Bubble Gum’ was released on April 26th. On May 20th, we received, via HYBE, an email claiming there are similarities between it and a song by band Shakatak, managed by UK music publisher Wise Music Group, who are in turn represented by Edition Korea, who sent the email. On May 21st, the songwriters who wrote the music for ‘Bubble Gum’ responded that they had never even heard of the song ‘Easier Said Than Done’ before the complaint was raised and therefore they could not have used Shakatak’s music without permission.”
ADOR continued, “In consideration of the fact that the issue was picked up by the media on May 13th, which coincided with of our ongoing dispute with HYBE, and therefore anticipating the potential for muddled discourse to emerge, ADOR preemptively commissioned a professional analysis from two renowned musicologists from overseas. Subsequently, on June 17th, we received a notice via certified mail from Shakatak’s legal representative in Korea, to which we made an official response on June 21st, saying, ‘We have already responded to Shakatak’s claims, explaining that we did not use their composition without permission, and requested that they provide a credible report proving any unauthorized use.’“
ADOR emphasized that the claim that “Bubble Gum” used “Easier Said Than Done” without authorization is entirely false, stating, “The two songs differ in their chord progressions, their bpm, and in their overall feeling and movement. Tellingly, it was deemed that the claim of unauthorized use over something so simple as a melody where a single bar sounds similar is a complete misrepresentation of the truth. lt is, however, also difficult to argue that this particular melody is unique to ‘Easier Said Than Done’ because it’s one that was in common use in pop songs of all subgenres before ‘Easier Said Than Done,’ and one that remains common today. We strongly objected to the claims brought before us for a number of reasons and requested the claimant to provide a credible analysis if they wished to pursue the issue further.“
ADOR said, “Some media outlets have regretfully neglected to report on this process entirely, unfairly portraying our request for an analysis from the very people who raised the complaint as an unethical demand on our part and one out of step with standard industry procedure. Although we are proceeding with a formal resolution process, some outlets have taken their reporting to extremes, choosing to rehash our justifiable actions long after they’ve taken place and accusing us of acting improperly, or endlessly privileging only one opinion without verifying their accuracy.”
They continued, “In addition, we have serious misgivings about the way HYBE, who received the complaint, and the very company that is supposed to have ADOR’s best interests in mind in handling its PR, has been tackling the issue when it comes to communicating with the press. Shakatak’s representation first communicated their claim through an email to HYBE, and common sense would dictate that such information should first be shared with ADOR, as the label which it directly concerns, after which, on our approval, it would be shared with the relevant teams and personnel for further cooperation. And yet, despite the highly sensitive nature of the issue, HYBE disseminated the contents across departments without our consent, involving a far greater number of people than was necessary. Moreover, not only did HYBE not look to work closely alongside us to handle the issue and minimize negative press coverage, but they actually demonstrated a lukewarm and even passive attitude toward the issue, and even after we specifically stepped in and requested them to be more proactive, and despite our repeated and ongoing objections to their stance, they continue to take this general approach.“
ADOR added, “Considering these circumstances, we have been doing our best to take matters into our own hands. As we speak, the matter is being looked into by legal teams representing Beasts And Native Alike, who handle NewJeans‘ music, and representing the songwriters and their publishers. We have also been relying on our own people to monitor the situation ourselves, working hard to correct any misinformation we find.“
