Sam Smith Owes Tom Petty Big Money

Sam Smith will have to pay Tom Petty for his chart-topping “Stay With Me.” When listeners picked up on similarities between the song and Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down,” Smith agreed to pay the rock legend and give him a credit on the song. According to The Sun, Petty and singer-composer Jeff Lynne will get a 12.5 percent writing credit. Petty and Smith’s camp reportedly settled outside of court. A source close to the dispute said: “After it was pointed out to Sam’s camp, they didn’t try to fight it.... It wasn’t a deliberate thing, musicians are just inspired by other artists and Sam and his team were quick to hold up their hand when it was officially flagged.”