Salt-N-Pepa just filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group because they want their music back.
Cheryl “Salt” James and Sandra “Pepa” Denton are going after UMG, saying the label yanked their tracks like “Push It” and “Shoop” from streaming sites after they tried to get control of their old songs. Spinderella isn’t part of this legal mess. The Copyright Act of 1976 is supposed to help artists take back their music after a bunch of years, but figuring out exactly when and how that happens is always a big fight between artists and labels. Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit says, “UMG has indicated that it will hold Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of Plaintiffs’ music catalogue and depriving their fans of access to their work.” They want money for what they lost and also want UMG to get in trouble for not following the law.
Their lawyer put out a statement saying, “As they prepare to make history as only the second female hip-hop act ever inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Salt-N-Pepa are also fighting to reclaim rightful ownership of their iconic, barrier-breaking music under the U.S. Copyright Act. In a stunning act of retaliation, UMG has pulled their songs from all major platforms in the U.S., punishing them for asserting those rights and silencing decades of culture-shifting work. Like many artists, they’re challenging a system that profits from their work while denying them control. This fight is about more than contracts—it’s about legacy, justice, and the future of artist ownership.” That’s a pretty big deal.
Fans just want to listen to the music they love.
Meanwhile, Universal Music Group says they’re trying to work things out and even tried to pay Salt-N-Pepa directly, even though the group already sold their royalties to someone else. UMG’s spokesperson said, “Salt-N-Pepa’s own legal filings demonstrate the repeated attempts we have made to resolve this matter amicably (including offers to enter into a mediation) ever since the artists served an invalid termination notice. Although we had no legal obligation to do so, we still sought to find a way to improve the artists’ compensation and pay them directly—even after they had sold their royalty streams to a third party. Clearly, the artists’ legal counsel thinks they can use the threat of negative media coverage from the lawsuit to achieve their unreasonable demands. Despite this, and consistent with our longstanding practice, we remain committed to working towards an amicable resolution.”
Sometimes it feels like music is just numbers and contracts, but then you remember how much it matters to people.
