Salt-N-Pepa are reportedly suing their record label, Universal Music Group (“UMG”), to attempt to reclaim rights to their music, including hip-hop staples “Shoop” and “Push It”. As reported by the New York Post, the group claims that UMG is violating copyright law by refusing to turn over the rights to their master recordings. Salt-N-Pepa are seeking damages that could exceed $1 million USD as well as punitive damages.
Cheryl James (“Salt”) and Sandra Denton (“Pepa”) filed the lawsuit in federal court in New York, asserting that the Copyright Act of 1976 now entitles them to reclaim full ownership of their recordings. The law allows artists to terminate old agreements and regain rights to their work after a set period of time. In particular, section 203 entitles authors to terminate past copyright transfers and is intended to protect artists who may have entered into unfavorable contracts early in their careers, before the long-term value or success of their work was fully realized.
According to the lawsuit, “UMG has indicated that it will hold Plaintiffs’ rights hostage even if it means tanking the value of Plaintiffs’ music catalogue and depriving their fans of access to their work”. UMG’s supposed position is that the recordings are “works made for hire”, meaning that an employer or commissioner, not the artist, owns the copyright for the creative work from the moment the works were created. If this is the case, Salt-N-Pepa would be unable to reclaim the rights to their music.
Salt-N-Pepa redefined the world of hip hop, becoming the first female rap group to win a Grammy and later earning a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. Whether they will succeed in reclaiming the rights to their work remains to be seen.
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