A Manager Claims He ‘Discovered’ Gigi Perez, But UMG Illegally Cut Him Out of Her ‘Explosive Success’
A new lawsuit paints a complex picture of artist management and A&R in the modern, social-media-fueled music industry.
Music manager Josh Marshall's firm Mogul Vision is suing Universal Music Group (UMG) over accusations that the massive music conglomerate wrongfully stripped him out of the success of TikTok star Gigi Perez. The lawsuit claims UMG breached their contract with Marshall and is pocketing the earnings from Perez's skyrocketing popularity.
"Defendants failed to honor plaintiff's specific contractual rights... in the recording career of Gigi Perez, whose music has been streamed more than 3.1 billion times on Spotify alone, and an estimated more than 5 billion times across all platforms," the lawsuit states, obtained by Billboard. Seeking at least $25 million in damages and ownership rights, the case argues that UMG, parent company of Interscope Records and Island Records, should have adhered to a joint venture agreement crafted by Marshall and Interscope.
The deal promised Marshall 50 percent of profits from Perez's music and 50 percent ownership rights. However, after Perez's 2023 EP "How to Catch a Falling Knife" dropped, UMG opted to drop her from their roster, contradicting their promise to allow Marshall to take over if they decided to end the partnership. Despite Interscope executives allegedly agreeing to hand the business over to Mogul Vision, Marshall's attorney claims they never actually did.
As a result, Perez has signed with Island Records, released hits like "Normalcy" and "Sailor Song," and amassed billions of streams. UMG's breach of contract has allowed the company to reap the financial benefits of Perez's "explosive success" without contributing to Marshall's rights.
Written by urgent.news from Billboard's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
