Overview
Beloved Aussie rockers Tame Impala are suing their ex-record label Modular for over half-a-million in unpaid overseas royalties.
A month ago, Kevin Parker hinted in a Reddit AMA that the band was feuding with Modular and, until recently, hadn’t received a single dollar from overseas royalties. “I may never get that money,” he lamented “Someone high up spent the money before it got to me."
If we're reading between the lines, this means that if you supported Tame Impala outside of Australia, your money actually went to line the pockets of Modular label founder Stephen Pavlovic. And a lot of you did. According to The Australian, Parker’s new label BMG is suing Pavlovic for $US450,000 (AUD$588,150). That’s a lot of dough. Modular is also being accused of ignoring a 'cease and desist' letter regarding their distribution of Tama Impala material.
Modular's not exactly rolling in it right now. The Music reports that most of Modular’s big names (including Pond, Architecture in Helsinki and Wolfmother) have moved on to other labels and distribution channels.
At the end of the day, this isn't the first time an artist has chased their own unpaid royalties. In his AMA, Parker went on to explain (in a frankly chill way for someone who has been duped out of hundreds of thousands of dollars) that basically, the music industry is fukt. Let's be honest, when you pay money for an album instead of downloading it illegally for free — a decision usually made out of respect for the artist — the majority of that money is likely finding its way into the wallet of a third party.
Parker cut right through the bullshit, saying "As far as I'm concerned the best thing you can do for an artist is LISTEN to the music...fall in love with it.......talk about it.........get it however you can get it....Let the corporations pay for [it]”. Right on, brother.
Pavlovic is yet to comment on the situation and is unlikely to soon, considering the legal battle ahead.
Via Tone Deaf and The Australian.
Image: End of the Road.