Balinese flute maestro Gus Teja says Louis Vuitton used his song without permission
Balinese flute maestro Agus Teja Sentosa, who is more commonly known as Gus Teja, says iconic French fashion house Louis Vuitton used one of his songs without permission or due credit, prompting the Indonesian musician to use social media to express his disappointment toward the world’s most valuable luxury brand.
“It’s a mixed feeling of being both happy and disappointed at the same time. I believe musicians and music composers around the world will feel proud when their compositions is being used by a giant brand,” Gus Teja wrote on an Instagram post.
“However, in my case, this brand didn’t seek any permission or even credit the artist in any part of the video or descriptions.”
In the Instagram post, Gus Teja shares a short clip from Louis Vuitton, in which the luxury brand announces their e-commerce launch in Malaysia, which kicked off earlier this month. A flute can be heard playing as background music in the clip, which Gus Teja says is from his own composition titled “Hero,” from his 2011 album “Flutes for Love.”
In the Instagram post below, Gus Teja shares a part of the music video for “Hero,” and the video ends with the LV clip in question.
The artist leads Gus Teja World Music, a seven-member Balinese music group formed in 2008, which performs a blend of traditional and modern musical instruments. The group has released three full-length albums since, with “Rhythm of Paradise” as one of their more popular tracks, especially among fans of contemporary Balinese sounds.
Gus Teja told Bali Express last week that he was informed about this matter by a fan from Malaysia, who mentioned him on Instagram and showed him the short clip from LV.
Many social media users have flooded various platforms where this issue is being discussed, expressing their anger and disappointment toward LV by tagging their official accounts, while also demanding the brand to do better.
“It’s [LV] already so expensive, and still uses people’s song,” one user said on Facebook.
For his part, Gus Teja has expressed hope that Louis Vuitton would reach out and clarify the issue with him. He even wished them “all the best” for their business expansion, as seen on his Instagram, adding that he believes in good karma.
Last night, the Ubud-born musician shared via another Instagram post that he finally got a response from LV.
“After an agonizing week of feeling bullied by a big brand, @louisvuitton finally responded. It’s an irony [sic] how an [advocate] of all things original can do such things to an artist like me,” Gus Teja wrote in the post.
Gus Teja explained that LV is investigating the matter on their end, adding that his management team will work to seek clarification and justice “so that no artist [would] be treated this way in the near future.”
Coconuts Bali has reached out to Gus Teja and LV for comment, and we will update this story should we get a reply from them.
Read more news and updates from Bali here.
