Kobalt Music Publishing

Young Thug Is Reportedly Being Sued For Selling His Catalog Rights In 2021 While Under An Existing Contract

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Young Thug is reportedly being sued for singing two conflicting publishing deals by one of the music publishing companies, according to AllHipHop. Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), filed the suit, claiming that in 2021, Thugger signed a second deal to sell his catalog for $16 million with Kobalt Group — something he shouldn’t have been able to do, since AEG has owned the rights to the Atlanta rapper’s music since 2017.

According to AEG, the song rights included in the sale to Kobalt were supposed to serve as collateral for a $5.25 million loan to Thug and YSL Records. Thug’s repayment would come through the royalties generated by the songs and any live performances arranged by third-party promoters (i.e., not AEG). By 2019, AEG alleges, Thug had defaulted on the loan, and claims he misrepresented his ability to afford the payments in the first place. It’s not as simple as running a credit check.

When Thug sold the catalog in 2021, he supposedly made around $16 million for the sale, and made his repayment toward AEG even more difficult. AEG says that not only did Thug breach his contract in this way, but he also continued to book shows through third-party promoters without kicking up the profits. The promotion company wants the amount of the original loan, interest, and the royalties from the sold songs. While AEG put its 2022 lawsuit on hold for the duration of Young Thug’s racketeering trial, the trial’s recent conclusion has allowed AEG to move forward with discovery proceedings.

Eminem’s Publishing Company Has Reportedly Lost Its $40 Million Streaming Royalties Lawsuit Against Spotify

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Snoop Dogg might not be impressed with DSPs payout. But that hasn’t stopped Eminem, or rather his publishing company, from going after what he’s owed.

Back in 2019’s the “Somebody Save Me” rapper’s co-publisher, Eight Mile Style, launched a lawsuit against streaming giant. Now according to Music Business Worldwide, the five-year-long $40 million case is partially over in favor of the stream.

In the decision, Judge Aleta A. Trauger shut down Eight Mile Style’s claim that Spotify “deceptively” asserted that it had the “proper licenses” for several Eminem tracks.

“While Spotify’s handling of composer copyrights appears to have been seriously flawed, any right to recover damages based on those flaws belongs to those innocent rights holders who were genuinely harmed,” she said. “Not ones who, like Eight Mile Style, had every opportunity to set things right and simply chose not to do so for no apparent reason, other than that being the victim of infringement pays better than being an ordinary licensor.”

Instead, Trauger ruled that Kobalt Music Publishing, another royalty collection agency, was seemingly at fault, a declaration Spotify’s legal team previously made.”

However, in a statement provided to the outlet (viewable here), Kobalt Music Publishing denied the accusation. “Spotify mischaracterizes the substance both of the services Kobalt provides to Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated in the United States, as well as the content of Spotify’s direct US licensing agreement with Kobalt,” said the rep.

Eminem has not issued a public response to the court’s decision.