Music legend Dionne Warwick is being sued by a royalty management firm that claims it is owed a share of proceeds connected to the use of her song “Walk On By” in Doja Cat’s hit “Paint the Town Red.”
On Dec. 15, the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation. The company alleges it negotiated the sample deal that allowed Doja Cat to use Warwick’s 1964 recording. The company says it is entitled to ongoing payments under a long-standing agreement with Warwick, Billboard reported.
According to the complaint cited by the outlet, Warwick entered into an agreement with Artists Rights in 2002, under which the company would enforce and license her rights. In exchange, Warwick would split 50% of recovered royalties and settlements. The lawsuit states that the agreement applied “in perpetuity.”
Artists Rights alleges that it played a central role in securing compensation related to “Paint the Town Red,” which heavily samples “Walk On By.” The firm stated that it “provided resources and assistance to Warwick for decades at no cost to her so that she could obtain fair compensation for her vast body of work, which she had not been receiving.”
The complaint further alleges that Warwick later attempted to terminate the agreement and instructed music companies to send royalty payments directly to her rather than to Artists Rights.
“After decades of service, Ms. Warwick is now trying to evade paying Artists Rights hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit claims Artists Rights’ enforcement efforts increased Warwick’s royalty income by “approximately sixtyfold.” Artists Rights firm is seeking damages, interest, and a court declaration affirming its right to continued payments from Warwick.
Pitchfork reported that neither Doja Cat nor her record label is named as a defendant in the case. Representatives for Warwick did not respond to requests for comment from the outlet at the time of publication.
According to Billboard, the lawsuit adds to broader industry scrutiny around legacy artist contracts and how older agreements are interpreted as catalog recordings generate new revenue through sampling and streaming.
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