Salt-N-Pepa are talking out about their authorized battle with Common Music Group. In a brand new interview with Good Morning America, the rap duo — Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton — defined their determination to sue their report firm greater than 30 years after first signing their contract. Salt-N-Pepa filed a federal lawsuit towards UMG in Could, accusing the label of violating the Copyright Act by not permitting the musicians to reclaim management of their music’s mental property.
“It’s time for us to combat for our rights,” mentioned James. “Whenever you’re an artist, to start with, you signal a contract saying that the copyrights will revert again to you after 35 years. And we’ve accomplished all of the issues legally to get our copyrights again. However they’re simply refusing, so we needed to sue them.”
“It’s the legislation. That’s what it actually boils right down to,” Denton added.
In accordance with the lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, the pair filed notices of termination in 2022 to reclaim the grasp rights, that are owned by UMG’s Subsequent Plateau Information and London Information, signed in 1986 and 1992, respectively. In response, UMG claimed in a current submitting that Salt-N-Pepa don’t have the suitable to train their “termination rights” since they didn’t signal the contract themselves.
“We didn’t have that leverage. We didn’t have that data. We didn’t have that management within the Eighties. And so, to be held to a contract from 1985, and 40 years later, it’s, like, ridiculous,” mentioned James of that response. (The pair mentioned it was additionally receiving the help of former member, DJ Spinderella.)
Of their lawsuit and within the GMA dialog, the pair claimed UMG has prevented them from selling their music and has eliminated it from streaming providers.
“Clearly, it’s one thing. They wanna maintain it. They wanna maintain onto it. And so they’re tryin’ to combat us,” Denton mentioned. “So, clearly, they perceive what’s the price of that.”
When the artists filed their lawsuit again in Could, a UMG spokesperson instructed Rolling Stone that the filings confirmed their “repeated makes an attempt” to “resolve this matter amicably.” The rep defined: “Clearly, the artists’ authorized counsel thinks they’ll use the specter of adverse media protection from the lawsuit to realize their unreasonable calls for. Regardless of this, and in step with our longstanding apply, we stay dedicated to working in direction of an amicable decision.”
Authorized reps for Salt-N-Pepa mentioned on the time that the elimination of the pair’s music from main platforms was a “beautiful act of retaliation.” Together with the rights to the masters, the duo can also be requesting precise damages that might “exceed $1 million.” They’re additionally asking for a everlasting injunction to substantiate their rights to the songs recorded and declare they wish to attain a “mutually acceptable decision.”
