Common Music Group, ABKCO and Harmony Music Group are in search of “at least” $500 million in damages after submitting a copyright infringement lawsuit towards TuneCore and the music distributor’s guardian firm, Consider, Billboard reviews.
TuneCore permits unbiased artists to simply distribute their music throughout main streaming providers like Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon. The corporate, which in 2015 was acquired by Consider for an undisclosed sum, says it is paid out over $4 billion in income to artists since its 2006 launch.
UMG, ABKCO and Harmony have collectively accused TuneCore of enabling “massive” fraud and piracy within the bombshell lawsuit, filed November 4th in Manhattan federal courtroom. The coalition’s criticism alleges that Consider’s platform is “overrun with fraudulent ‘artists’ and pirate record labels” which can be distributing unlawful derivatives of hit songs to streaming providers and social media.
These so-called artists, legal professionals for the plaintiffs declare, uploaded “minor variants” of hit tracks by the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Woman Gaga and lots of extra. They reportedly tried to keep away from detection by attributing the music to deliberately misspelled names like “Kendrik Laamar,’ “Arriana Gramde,” “Jutin Biber” and “Llady Gaga.”
Believe, which operates in over 50 countries, has positioned itself as an independent, artist-friendly alternative to major label distribution. The explosive lawsuit, a major escalation in the ongoing battle against music piracy, accuses the company of failing to adequately police its platform.
“Consider is an organization constructed on industrial-scale copyright infringement,” a UMG spokesperson said in a statement. “Their unlawful practices will not be restricted to dishonest artists on main labels however artists on unbiased labels as nicely—together with artists on the unbiased labels throughout the commerce our bodies of which Consider is itself a member.”
“It’s no surprise that Consider has been outspoken towards the streaming reform rules for which so many main and unbiased labels have been advocating. Why? As a result of such reforms would undermine and expose their system of constructing scale and market presence by distributing music for which they haven’t any rights and illegally amassing royalties to complement themselves and their co-conspirators.”
A spokesperson for Believe vehemently denied UMG’s claims and said the company is preparing to fight them in court.
“As firms that work with artists and labels world wide, we take the respect of copyright very critically,” the Believe rep told Billboard. “We strongly refute these claims, and the statements made by Common Music Group and can struggle them. We have now developed sturdy instruments and processes to sort out this industrywide problem, working collaboratively with companions and friends and can proceed to take action. We have now been on the forefront of the digital music ecosystem for almost 20 years, supporting the event of unbiased artists and labels, and have been awarded Tier 1 standing and included within the Most popular Associate Program throughout all music shops.”
You may learn the complete criticism, obtained by MBW, right here.
