2 time Grammy nominated reggae singer Etana is once again putting her former label VP records on blast after what she describes as “games” being discovered in an email correspondence between her, the label and “the manager.”
Etana posted the email with information about extensions and amendments of contract. The contract states among other things that “artist grants the company 4 separate options to extend the term for additional contract periods.”
The Strong One singer, who has been in a public battle with the reggae record label for the past four years posted the caption:
“I asked about executing the second option on the recording agreement. Manager sends back an email with an attachment saying this is the budget for the album we are currently doing. Does the first page look like a budget. Lol! These are the games these people play. Them and the manager link together. What does the subject of the email say?? And remember I asked for a budget and the execution of the second option. ( not a part of my current lawsuit).”
Music Manager Sharon Burke commented under the post saying “Who is the best manager you ever had ???? @etanastrongone”
Etana responded, “@sharonburkesolidagency they wouldn’t so brave to send you this.”
Etana told World Music Views about the lawsuit in January by saying “I just want what is legally mine.”
She said she filed the industry shaking lawsuit against VP Records, in the Supreme Court in the State of New York over artist royalties, mechanical royalties, public performance royalties, and other monies allegedly due to her.
The 38 year old also told World Music Views at the time that VP Records had failed to resolve several contentious issues for a very long time.
“Yes there is a lawsuit filed by myself and Freemind Music against VP and it’s in an effort to resolve long standing issues that were disregarded and ignored by the company and their affiliates for a very long time,” Etana professed.
“In the height of the pandemic in my reflection and reorganization, I discovered a lot of things and had much time to revisit some unanswered questions. It goes so deep it would take much to explain and I am not sure going into detail is the best thing to do at this moment. I would have to seek advise from my attorneys… I have not received any response from the company as yet but their response will go to the court or to my attorneys first,” she added.
The suit filed by Etana’s attorneys Miami Entertainment Law Group, among other things, states as follows:
“This action has arisen because defendants have fraudulently concealed their true use and disposition of plaintiff’s masters, albums, compositions and or recordings and have either failed to render proper accounting statements regarding the plaintiff’s royalties or intentionally rendered dishonest and grossly deficient accounting statements all in an effort to pocket millions of dollars of plaintiff’s royalties.”
“In doing so, defendants have shown an utter disregard for their contractual obligations and have flagrantly abused the more than a decade relationship of trust and confidence placed in them by plaintiffs”.
VP Records is yet to comment on the matter but as the case continues in court VP’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss, stating that there are multiple lapses in the infringement and royalties lawsuit filed against them. Etana’s lawyer has since re-submitted an amended complaint, which was taken into consideration by the presiding judge, who consequently denied the record label’s request for the case to be thrown out of the New York Court.
In April after Etana submitted her amended complaint to the court, a US District Judge, Gregory H. Woods stated that VP and its subsidiaries’ motion to dismiss is “denied as moot”.
The judge also noted that the deadline for VP to answer or otherwise respond to the amended complaint was now May 10, 2022, according to the court documents.
The songs Etana is taking claim for copyright ownership include her very first hits Wrong Address, Roots, Nuclear, Don’t Forget, Live and Love Life, and Jah Chariot, which were created from 2005 through February 2007.
The lawyers argued that as early as 2007, VP Records had infringed on her copyright to the titles created prior to the execution of a 2007 Recording Agreement, “by claiming that those titles are owned and controlled by VP Records because the rights to those songs were transferred to them through the VP Recording Agreement”.
“In fact, no agreement between McKenzie and any of the Defendants existed when the titles, “Roots” and “Wrong Address” were released in 2006 by Plaintiff Freemind Music LLC,” it said, per our news affiliate Dancehall Mag.
The August Town native has seven full length albums including 2 Reggae Billboard No. 1s and two Grammy nominated independently released LPs.
- The Strong One (2008), VP – US Reggae no. 12
- Free Expressions (2011 Feb), VP – US Reggae no. 11
- Better Tomorrow (2013), VP – US Reggae no. 7
- I Rise (2014), VP – US Reggae no. 1
- Reggae Forever (2018), Freemind Music/Tads Records US Reggae no. 1
- Dimensions (2019), Freemind Music – US Reggae no. (Grammy Nom)
- Pamoja (2021), Freemind Music (Grammy Nom).
