On July 7, Jermaine Dupri filed a lawsuit against Sony Music Entertainment, accusing it of underpaying him and his label, So-So Def Recordings, in royalties over the years. The royalties cover albums by Usher, Mariah Carey and other artists such as Chris Cross, Xscape, Bow Wow, Da Brat, J-Kwon and Bone Crusher, in addition to his own music.
The figure is staggering, reportedly as high as $18 million. Billboard initially reported the lawsuit after obtaining the documents, alleging that SME engaged in a “systematic pattern” of “dismissive accounting practices” in underpaying artists royalties.
“It turns out that many of SME’s transactions with So-So Def were unlawful and harmed So-So Def’s business,” Dupri’s attorneys said in a statement covering the 32-year relationship between So-So Def Recordings and Sony Music Entertainment. Needless to say, these accusations are serious and important in inciting a conversation about fair payment practices at major record labels. What do you think?
