Mr. Romeo claims he has not been paid for 19 songs, including music sampled by top US artists. Max Romeo has filed a lawsuit against Universal Music Group over unpaid royalties.
The veteran singer claims he has not been paid royalties for 19 songs, including his reggae anthem War Ina Babylon.
Speaking to the music news outlet, Mr. Romeo said: “I have never been paid, I can’t say much about it. It is being taken care of…so I don’t want to talk too much about the subject.”
This is not the first time a Reggae artist has taken legal action against a major record label regarding unpaid royalties.
Award-winning reggae singer Etana previously told The Voice, she was suing VP Records – the biggest Reggae record label in the world – alleging she was ‘tricked’ and ‘robbed’ out of royalties.
At the time, she said that big-name reggae artists were “dying in poverty”, trying to sell their rights to get a decent burial and her case was just the tip of the iceberg.
In Mr. Romeo’s case, his biggest hit Chase The Devil – which was sampled by US rappers Jay Z and Kanye West – is also part of his lawsuit.
The 78-year-old singer-songwriter confirmed the legal action against the label with the Jamaican music news site and said it also includes unpaid royalties for his music being featured in the British film Yardie – which was directed by actor Idris Elba.
According to the lawsuit, Mr. Romeo is also seeking compensation for his music being used in popular gaming series Grand Theft Auto.
Earlier this year, Mr. Romeo announced he would be retiring from touring.
In 2022, UK-based performance rights organization Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) told The Voice, Jamaican music continues to generate hundreds of thousands of pounds every year in the country.
In a 2022 statement to The Voice, a spokesperson from PPL said: “UK usage of Jamaican recorded music between 2015 and 2021 generated, on average, around £500,000 a year for Jamaican performers.
“International usage (i.e. outside of Jamaica and the UK) of Jamaican recorded music across the same period generated, on average, £600,000 a year for Jamaican performers.”
In 2020, Miley Cyrus settled a $300 million lawsuit with Jamaican songwriter Michael May, also known as Flourgon, over claims she stole his lyrics for her hit song We Can’t Stop.
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