UPDATE 7:04 p.m.: We’re told the situation has been handled privately and all parties are pleased with the outcome. A happy ending!
New York Fashion Week wraps up on Saturday, but not before a bit of controversy involving Boston. Electronic music producer André Obin has discovered that Venezuelan-American designer Carolina Herrera used one of his songs in her “Fall Winter 2015/2016” showcase yesterday, and allegedly did so without his permission.
Obin has penned an open letter to Herrera asking for an explanation of how his 2011 song “Soft Rain” was utilized as a main theme in her runway show without his knowledge nor permission. The label that put out “Soft Rain” nearly four years ago, Trouw Amsterdam, is no longer in business.
[Full disclosure: Before Vanyaland was a music news website, Vanya Records was a small independent record label, and in 2012 it released Obin’s “Valencia” on 7-inch. He said we could.]
Read Obin’s note below, and watch video from Herrera’s show after the block quote jump. We’ll post any reaction or response from Herrera’s camp as it becomes available.
Open letter to Carolina Herrera
Good morning,
My name is André Obin and I am an electronic music artist and producer. On February 16th 2015 Carolina Herrera used my song “Soft Rain” in her NYFW Fall 2015 runway show. I’m sure it was an honest mistake but no one from Carolina’s team asked me permission to use the song. I am still willing to draft up a licensing agreement after the fact. The song comes in first at 3:58 and runs until 6:15 in the show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKqNUDItoEE and then it was also used for the finale from 9:10 to 11:16. Seeing that the track is the main foundation and soundscape for the show, I hope we can come to an agreement so that I can be compensated accordingly and expediently.
Thank you and kind regards,
André Obin
andreobinmusic@gmail.com
Watch video from the show below, and note Obin’s remarks in his letter on “Soft Rain’s” placement…