The problem, according to Petty, is that the music industry is not transparent about this. For example, it is often not clear to artists how much they earn from their music and what part of that income is transferred to them. “In the age of broadcasting, this is accompanied by massive amounts of data, especially if you have such a huge success as Mr. Probz. As an artist you need a specialist to be able to turn it into chocolate.”
In 2020, Mr. Probz has already faced SME with his company Left Lane BV in court. At that time, it was decided that the record company should open its business in the form of accounting. The copyright law was also recently amended, requiring music creators to file an annual statement of income and costs. Pettit: “The fact that it’s about complex data doesn’t mean that parties like record companies aren’t responsible for making this transparent.”
the master. Probes and his attorney – backed by research by the accounting firm Grant Thornton – that SME and its subsidiary Ultra Records owe the singer €10 million, because the company would not have honored the source clause in the contract. Betty thinks this amount is “not in the fingers.” “That’s at least an educated guess.”
“This could be a deciding factor when it comes to how transparent the music industry should be,” says the attorney. the master. Probz thinks he’s not the only artist he plays for. Pettit confirms this, but also says that not everyone has the financial means to start a lawyer and accounting firm. “The truth is that many artists have no idea if the compensation they are getting is reasonable.”
petit positive about mr. Probs case. “From what I’ve read, they have a good point of view. Grant Thornton’s studies reinforce that sentiment. Meanwhile, Mr. Probbs’ arguments are well known and we don’t know Sony’s defense yet.” Should the singer win the case, Beatty expects many similar charges. “So the gate is outside the dam.”
NU.nl has asked Sony Music Entertainment to respond. The company says it “strongly rejects” the allegations and is awaiting trial.
