Salt-N-Pepa’s lawsuit against Universal Music Group over master recordings dismissed

Salt-N-Pepa‘s lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) over the ownership of their master recordings has been dismissed.

Last May, the legendary rap duo, made up of Cheryl ‘Salt’ James and Sandra ‘Pepa’ Denton, filed the suit in New York federal court, accusing the label of refusing to honour the duo’s legal right to reclaim control of their music’s intellectual property.

They had cited the 1976 Copyright Act, which they claimed ought to have allowed them to take control of their work 35 years after its publication, but instead they argued that UMG were holding their music “hostage” and “depriving their fans of access to their work”.

UMG later filed a motion to have the case dismissed for “failure to state a claim”, and that motion was granted this week (January 8) by District Judge Denise Cote in New York, who agreeing with UMG’s assertion that the recordings were “works made for hire” and therefore not subject to the reclaiming of rights.

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A UMG spokesperson told Rolling Stone: “While we are gratified that the court dismissed this baseless lawsuit, it should never have been brought in the first place. Prior to this suit – and without any legal obligation to do so – we made multiple attempts to resolve the matter amicably, improve the artists’ compensation, and ensure that Salt-N-Pepa’s fans had access to their music.”

Salt-N-Pepa also told Rolling Stone: “We respectfully disagree with the Court’s decision and fully intend to pursue our rights on appeal. We, Cheryl James and Sandra Denton, also known as the Hip Hop icons Salt-N-Pepa, are the creative and driving force behind all our sound recordings and have performed these songs over the past 40 years. We remain committed to vindicating and reclaiming our rights as creators under the Copyright Act.”

UMG have suggested that they remain “open and willing” to find a resolution to the matter.

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Salt-N-Pepa were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in November with the ‘Musical Influence’ award, and during their acceptance speech, they said: “As we celebrate this moment, fans can’t even stream our music. It’s been taken down from all streaming platforms because the industry still doesn’t want to play fair. Salt-N-Pepa have never been afraid of a fight. This is the Influence Award. We have to keep using our influence until the industry honors creativity the way the audience does – with love, respect, and fairness – and that includes streaming platforms too.”

The success of Salt-N-Pepa’s 1986 debut album, ‘Hot, Cool & Vicious’, saw them become the first female rap act to achieve gold and platinum status by the Recording Industry Association of America.

In their original suit, they argued that their ability to profit from their work had effectively been frozen, and claimed that damages could “well exceed $1million”.

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