6 Musicians Who Sued Their Labels

Battles between musicians and their record labels are practically as old as the music industry itself. In some cases, early artists set a precedent by taking their labels to court, often leading to irreparable damage to their own careers while also helping to pave the way for future musicians to be treated and compensated more fairly.

Erroll Garner

The first musician to ever sue their record label and win was jazz pianist Erroll Garner, who took Columbia Records to court for breaking his contract in 1960, after the label released old recordings Garner hadn’t authorized. After his win, Garner was awarded a cash settlement, as well as the return of his masters, and Columbia agreed to recall and destroy the records released without his permission.

Charlie Gracie

Charlie Gracie was an early pioneer of rock music who inspired members of The Beatles with his chart-topping hits in the ’50s—but his career stalled after he realized he wasn’t being paid as much as should have been and sued his label, Cameo Records. The two parties settled out of court, but Gracie was blacklisted from the industry as a result.

The Beatles

In 2005, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, along with the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison, sued EMI for $53.1 million in unpaid royalties. And it wasn’t the first time—in the late ‘80s, the band’s Apple Records sued EMI and claimed the label had secretly sold or given away millions of records to stores.

Courtney Love

After Courtney Love‘s label,  Vivendi Universal Music Group, sued her in 2000 over five undelivered albums from her band, Hole, Love countersued, arguing the contract was “impossible to perform and hopelessly one-sided.” Love also claimed Hole was only paid $2 million in royalties, despite earning $40 million in album sales. The two parties ultimately reached a settlement.

Neil Young

In 1983, Neil Young’s label, Geffen Records, was so displeased with the new music he delivered that they decided to sue—they claimed the sound was “musically uncharacteristic of [Young’s] previous recordings,” essentially arguing it didn’t sound enough like Neil Young. He countersued, arguing his contract awarded him artistic freedom.

Dr. Dre

In 2011, rapper Dr. Dre took Death Row Records to court over unpaid royalties dating back to when he left the label in 1996 and a digital release of his 1992 album The Chronic. A judge ultimately ruled in his favor, arguing the label had violated the terms of his contract.