2018 has not seen a good start for Spotify… the music streaming platform has been sued by Wixen Music Publishing for $1.6 billion.
The California-based music publishing company, who collects royalties on behalf of artists like Missy Elliott, The Doors, Rage Against The Machine, Tom Petty, Ride, Neil Young and Janis Joplin, accused the streaming giant of using artists’ music without a licence or compensation being paid to the music publisher.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Randall Wixen, CEO of Wixen, said: “We are very disappointed that these services will retroactively get a free pass for actions that were previously illegal unless we actually file suit before January 1, 2018. Neither we nor our clients are interested in becoming litigants but we have been faced with a choice of forfeiting rights and damages, or taking action at this time.”
“We’re just asking to be treated fairly. We are not looking for a ridiculous punitive payment. But we estimate that our clients account for somewhere between 1% and 5% of the music these services distribute,” Wixen subsequently told Variety. “Spotify has more than $3 billion in annual revenue and pays outrageous annual salaries to its executives and millions per month for ultra-luxurious office space in various cities.”
Spotify has declined to comment on the matter so far.
