Salt-N-Pepa accuse Common Music Group of holding their music “hostage” in lawsuit

Salt-N-Pepa have accused Common Music Group of holding their music “hostage”, submitting a lawsuit in New York federal courtroom yesterday (Could 19).

Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton, the group’s remaining members after Deidra “Spinderella” Roper left in 2019, accused the label of refusing to honour their authorized proper to reclaim management of their music’s mental property.

The criticism units out that the rap icons adopted a copyright regulation allowing artists to take again management of their music 35 years after they signal away the rights, and that they filed notices of termination to reclaim the grasp rights in 2022.

“UMG has indicated that it's going to maintain Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even when it means tanking the worth of Plaintiffs’ music catalogue and depriving their followers of entry to their work,” the lawsuit reads, through Associated Press – referring to the band’s hits, together with ‘Push It’ and ‘Let’s Speak About Intercourse’ being faraway from main streaming providers together with Spotify and Apple Music.

Reps for UMG didn't instantly reply to Related Press’ request for remark.

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A press release from Salt-N-Pepa’s authorized representatives reads: “As they put together to make historical past as solely the second feminine hip-hop act ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame, Salt-N-Pepa are additionally preventing to reclaim rightful possession of their iconic, barrier-breaking music.

“UMG has pulled their songs from all main platforms within the U.S., punishing them for asserting these rights and silencing many years of culture-shifting work.”

The group has argued that their capacity to revenue from their very own work has successfully been frozen, and so they have requested the rights to the masters, precise damages that might “effectively exceed $1million” and a everlasting injunction confirming their rights to the songs recorded.

The success of Salt-N-Pepa’s 1986 debut album, ‘Scorching, Cool & Vicious’, noticed them change into the primary feminine rap act to attain gold and platinum standing by the Recording Business Affiliation of America, and as acknowledged by their authorized representatives they’re set to change into simply the second feminine rap act to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame in November.

In a 2023 interview, they credited their longevity with their friendship being “like a wedding”. James defined: “We’re with one another greater than we're with our personal households. So it’s necessary to provide one another house. It’s like a wedding. Generally we sleep within the mattress collectively, and generally Pep sleeps on the sofa.”