Bob Dylan Is Being Sued Over Catalog Sale
Bob Dylan recently sold the music publishing rights of his entire songwriting catalog, to Universal Music Publishing. Don’t feel too bad for him, the sale was reportedly valued at $300 million!
Claudia Levy has slapped a lawsuit against Bob Dylan for allegedly not paying out the estate of Dylan’s collaborator, and Claudia’s husband, Jacques Levy. He died in 2004.
A Hefty Price To Pay
Claudia is the widow of songwriter and theatre director Jacques Levy. Levy co-wrote seven songs on Bob Dylan’s 1976 album “Desire”. The new lawsuit is filed at a $7.25 million lawsuit over the folk singer’s blockbuster sale of his song catalog.
The basis for the lawsuit rests on a work-for-hire deal that entitled Levy to 35% of all income earned by the compositions. The lawsuit further states that Bob Dylan’s team has “refused to remit to [Levy’s family] their rightful share of the revenue and/or income earned from the catalog Sale with respect to the compositions.”
Wait, there’s a catch. According to sources, Jacques Levy does not own any of the songs sold.
The Rebuttal
Jacques Levy co-wrote songs with Bob Dylan including ‘Romance in Durango’. ‘Hurricane’, ‘Catfish’, ’Joey’, ‘Money Blues’, ‘Rita Mae’, ‘Mozambique’, ‘Oh Sister’, ‘Black Diamond Bay’, ‘a Bedtime Story’ and ‘Isis’.
The album “Desire” topped the Billboard Pop Album chart for five weeks, and went double platinum. It is ranked 174th by a popular magazine’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Jacques Levy will presumably be entitled to 35% of any income derived from the sale, as per the agreement. Levy’s income will be now paid by Universal Music Group. The question is, should Levy get a share of the profits?
Bob Dylan and his team have denied handing over the money. “This lawsuit is a sad attempt to unfairly profit off of the recent catalog sale,” Dylan’s lawyer, Orin Snyder, said in a statement. “The plaintiffs have been paid everything they are owed. We are confident that we will prevail. And when we do, we will hold plaintiffs and their counsel responsible for bringing this meritless case.”
By: Anjana Sathyanarayan
