Music Publisher Sues Spotify for US$1.6 Billion

Wixen Music Publishing is suing Spotify for hosting music by Tom Petty, Weezer, and Stevie Nicks, without the correct license.

In doing so, Wixen claims Spotify has failed to compensate it for hosting music such as Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin”, among thousands of tracks.

An excerpt of the complaint published on The Verge reads, “Prior to launching in the United States, Spotify attempted to license sound recordings by working with record labels but, in a race to be first to market, made insufficient efforts to collect the required musical composition information.”

The US$1.6 billion lawsuit is a rebuttal to the US$43 million settlement Spotify offered Wixen earlier in May 2017.

Wixen Music Publishing is a company that focuses on publishing, copyright management, and royalty payment. The company represents over 2,000 musicians including Rage Against the Machine and alt-rock band Weezer. Other musicians signed under Wixen include Missy Elliot, Janis Joplin, and The Beach Boys. For a full list of Wixen clients, click here.

Spotify has yet to comment on the issue.

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Source: Channel News Asia

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Staff