Amid authorized battle, Salt-N-Pepa claims UMG ‘retains us from re-releasing our music’
Two members of Salt-N-Pepa mentioned Common Music Group has taken down a few of their hit songs from streaming providers and is stopping them from re-releasing and selling their catalog.
Cheryl James and Sandra Denton instructed Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts in a latest interview that Common Music Group eliminated their music from platforms amid their authorized battle to reclaim possession of their early recordings beneath federal copyright legislation.
Denton mentioned: “It simply retains us from re-releasing our music — selling it.”
The duo’s newest allegation comes practically three months after the 2 sued UMG, alleging the music firm is stopping them from reclaiming possession of their grasp recordings, in breach of US copyright legal guidelines.
Of their grievance lodged in a US District Court docket in New York on Might 19, James and Denton accused UMG of partaking in “self-interested and heavy-handed techniques” to dam them from exercising their termination rights beneath copyright legislation. They need to regain management of their early catalog, which options hits like Push It, Let’s Speak About Intercourse, and Shoop.
Their lawsuit facilities on Part 203 of the Copyright Act, which provides creators the best to reclaim their work 35 years after initially transferring the rights, offered they’ve correctly submitted termination notices.
“Whenever you’re an artist, at first, you signal a contract saying that the copyrights will revert again to you after 35 years. And we’ve performed all of the issues legally to get our copyrights again. However they’re simply refusing, so we needed to sue them.”
Cheryl James, Salt-N-Pepa
The 2 mentioned they served termination notices in 2022, “desirous to retake full possession of their artwork and legacy.” Nonetheless, they mentioned UMG has refused to acknowledge their validity, claiming the recordings have been “works made for rent.”
In accordance with Salt-N-Pepa’s grievance, UMG retaliated by eradicating the music from streaming platforms in Might 2024.
James instructed GMA: “Whenever you’re an artist, at first, you signal a contract saying that the copyrights will revert again to you after 35 years. And we’ve performed all of the issues legally to get our copyrights again. However they’re simply refusing, so we needed to sue them.”
Denton added: “It’s the legislation. That’s what it actually boils all the way down to. It’s the legislation.”
UMG has already filed a movement to dismiss the lawsuit. Again in Might, a spokesperson for the music big instructed MBW: “Salt-N-Pepa’s personal authorized filings reveal the repeated makes an attempt now we have made to resolve this matter amicably (together with provides to enter right into a mediation) ever for the reason that artists served an invalid termination discover.”
“Clearly, the artists’ authorized counsel thinks they will use the specter of unfavorable media protection from the lawsuit to realize their unreasonable calls for. Regardless of this, and per our longstanding apply, we stay dedicated to working in direction of an amicable decision.”
“Clearly, it’s one thing. They wanna preserve it. They wanna maintain onto it. They usually’re tryin’ to combat us. So, clearly, they perceive what’s the price of that.”
Sandra Denton, Salt-N-Pepa
Salt-N-Pepa had earlier argued that UMG has refused to acknowledge the validity of their possession, claiming the recordings have been “works made for rent.”
Chatting with GMA, James mentioned: “We didn’t have that leverage. We didn’t have that data. We didn’t have that management within the ’80s. And so, to be held to a contract from 1985, and 40 years later, it’s, like, ridiculous.”
In the meantime, Denton steered that UMG’s resistance is as a result of worth of their catalog, telling GMA that the label is holding onto their music as a result of they know its “value.”
Denton claimed: “Clearly, it’s one thing. They wanna preserve it. They wanna maintain onto it. They usually’re tryin’ to combat us. So, clearly, they perceive what’s the price of that.”
Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit in opposition to UMG is amongst a collection of lawsuits between legacy artists and main labels over copyright reversion rights. In 2023, a New York federal decide denied class-action standing for a case filed by singer John Waite and fellow artists, claiming that UMG and Sony Music Leisure had blocked them from reclaiming their copyright transfers utilizing the 35-year rule.
That very same yr, Warner Music Group reached a settlement with Scottish group The Jesus and Mary Chain over allegations that WMG had“refused to conform” with their request to reclaim their copyrights beneath Part 203.
The next yr noticed Sony Music resolve an identical lawsuit filed by David Johansen from the New York Dolls, “Southside Johnny” John Lyon, and Paul Collins. Throughout the identical interval, a Florida jury decided that 2 Dwell Crew members might reclaim their grasp recording rights of their authorized battle in opposition to Lil’ Joe Information.
Related authorized conflicts have concerned artists together with singer-songwriter Syd Straw, members of bands like The Dickies and The Dream Syndicate, and Paul McCartney.
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