Documented cases
Filter by label, topic, or status. Every case leads with a sourced summary and links to the underlying documents.
13 of 13 entries
The U.S. sued to break up Live Nation–Ticketmaster — and a jury called it a monopoly (2024–2026)
On May 23, 2024, the DOJ and 29 states sued to break up Live Nation–Ticketmaster, alleging an illegal monopoly that raises fees for fans, limits artists' touring options, and coerces venues. In April 2026, a jury found the company had illegally monopolized the live-events market.
Spotify stopped paying royalties on any track under 1,000 streams (2024)
As of April 1, 2024, a track must reach 1,000 streams in the prior 12 months before it earns any royalties at all. Spotify says this targets fraud and that 99.5% of streams clear the bar; critics say it strips income from the vast majority of artists' catalogs.
Universal pulled its entire catalog off TikTok for three months (2024)
When its licensing deal expired, UMG pulled music by Taylor Swift, Drake, Ariana Grande and every other artist it represents off TikTok on February 1, 2024 — silencing them for roughly three months until a new deal was struck in May.
Ticketmaster's Eras Tour meltdown left millions of fans empty-handed (2022)
Ticketmaster's November 2022 presale for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour collapsed under hours-long queues and crashes; the public sale was cancelled outright. The fiasco triggered a January 2023 Senate hearing where both parties grilled the company as a monopoly.
Spotify's 'Discovery Mode': pay a lower royalty, get promoted — critics call it modern payola
Discovery Mode boosts a track in Spotify's recommendations in exchange for the artist accepting a reduced royalty. Critics — including members of Congress, the Recording Academy, and a 2025 class-action suit — call it 'modern payola.' Spotify markets it as personalization and disputes the label.
Taylor Swift's masters were sold twice without her (2019–2020)
Taylor Swift signed to Big Machine at 15 in a deal that gave the label her first six albums' masters. In 2019 those masters were sold to Scooter Braun, and in 2020 sold again — both times without her — making her the public face of the artist-ownership fight.
Kesha couldn't leave her recording contract while she sued (2014–2023)
Whatever one concludes about the underlying allegations, Kesha's case exposed a structural trap: courts declined to release her from her recording contract while her dispute with the producer who controlled it played out, leaving her professionally bound to her opponent for years. The suits settled in 2023.
JoJo had a No. 1 hit at 13 — then her label left her unable to release music for years
Signed at 12 to a seven-album deal, JoJo had a No. 1 single at 13 — then spent years contractually trapped at Blackground Records, which she said failed to release her music while she couldn't record elsewhere. She sued in 2013 and was finally freed under a law protecting minors from contracts over seven years.
30 Seconds to Mars sold 2M+ records, was $1.4M in debt, and got sued for $30M when they tried to leave (2008)
When 30 Seconds to Mars tried to exit their label deal under California's seven-year rule, EMI/Virgin sued them for $30 million. The band said it had sold over 2 million records yet had never been paid and was $1.4M in debt — a stark portrait of recoupment. It settled, and the band re-signed.
Sony BMG paid $10M to settle New York's payola investigation (2005)
In July 2005, Sony BMG agreed to pay $10 million and stop secretly bribing radio stations for airplay, settling New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's year-long payola investigation.
Prince wrote 'slave' on his face to escape Warner Bros. (1990s)
Prince signed to Warner Bros. at 19 and spent the 1990s fighting for ownership of his masters and the right to release music on his own schedule — appearing with 'slave' on his face before walking away in 1996 and finally regaining his catalog in 2014.
TLC sold millions of albums and filed for bankruptcy anyway (1995)
Weeks after CrazySexyCool — which became the only album by a female group to go diamond — TLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy with $3.5M in debt, each member reportedly taking home under $50,000 a year. It's the textbook case of how recoupment leaves stars broke.
George Michael called his Sony contract 'professional slavery' — and lost in court (1994)
George Michael sued to escape his long Sony contract, calling it 'professional slavery.' In June 1994 a UK court ruled the deal reasonable and enforceable. He couldn't break it in court — but a year later Sony simply sold his contract to other labels.