Summer Walker is currently in the fight for her life with Interscope, a record label associated with UMG. Back in August, Walker sent a letter to her label stating that she would be cutting off their agreement. Now, according to Rolling Stone, Interscope and UMG have filed a lawsuit.
They are claiming that the artist still has to provide them with two studio albums and an EP. Two previous projects were not counted as part of the agreement. Now, UMG believes it could be entitled to $50 million in damages.
“As a direct and proximate result of Walker’s failure to deliver the undelivered recordings, UMG has suffered and will continue to suffer damages, including but not limited to the profits it would have received had Walker completed all her obligations under the agreement,” the lawsuit explains. “UMG is entitled to recover damages in excess of $50,000,000 for the undelivered recordings.”
Summer Walker vs. Interscope
Walker's deal with Interscope has frequently been called "brutal" by industry insiders. Her 16 percent royalty is low comparatively, and her $100K advances are quite low. Walker's lawyers are certainly not impressed with the filing.
“While we are disappointed that Interscope has chosen to pursue litigation, we are confident in Summer’s legal position and her right to challenge the continued enforceability of her recording contract with Interscope,” Walker's attorney Keith Moten told Rolling Stone. “We intend to vigorously defend against Interscope’s claims and pursue appropriate legal relief.”
This is a major legal battle with large implications. For creatives and artists, this could be devastating if Walker loses. Needless to say, it is a situation that we will be monitoring closely going forward.
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