THE WORLD’S biggest record label is asking for a £12m lawsuit filed by Max Romeo over unpaid music royalties to be dismissed.

Last month, Dancehall Mag reported the legendary Reggae artist had filed a £12.3 million pound (US $15m) lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) Recordings and Polygram Publishing, Inc, claiming he has not been paid royalties for 19 songs, including his reggae anthem War Ina Babylon.

According to music platform, UMG Recordings and Polygram Publishing Inc have asked a judge to dismiss Mr Romeo’s lawsuit, describing it as a “fishing expedition.”

The record label claims Mr Romeo’s lawsuit – filed in the New York Supreme Court – does not reference any specific royalty statements which he believes are incorrect.

“He [Romeo] cannot plead vague assertions that amount to ‘I think I have not been paid enough’ in an effort to obtain wide-ranging discovery in the hope of finding after the fact some error or miscalculation that he believes may have occurred over the course of a nearly 50-year period,” UMG and Polygram’s lawyers, Pryor Cashman LLP, said.

Mr Romeo claims he demanded full accounting regarding his music for the years since 1976 and only received £99,249 (US $125,565) from UMG in September 2021.

Chase the Devil

Mr Romeo, now 79, biggest hit Chase The Devil – which was sampled by US rappers Jay Z and Kanye West – is also part of his lawsuit.

The Jamaican singer-songwriter confirmed the legal action against the label last month and said it also includes unpaid royalties for his music being featured in the British film Yardie – which was directed by actor Idris Elba.

According to the lawsuit, Mr Romeo is also seeking compensation for his music being used in popular gaming series Grand Theft Auto.

In a post on social media last month, addressing the lawsuit, Mr Romeo wrote: “Many Jamaican singers and songwriters have faced the same injustice I have from the people who promised to take our music across barriers, and as soon as the music gets there, we are pushed to the side and disregarded.

“After 47 years, I have exhausted every resource available to me to get this matter rectified. I had to sit on the side as my most eminent piece of work was exploited without proper compensation.”

Earlier this year, Mr Romeo announced he would be retiring from touring.

This is not the first time a Reggae artist has taken legal action against a major record label regarding unpaid royalties.

Award-winning reggae singer Etana previously told The Voice, she was suing VP Records – the biggest Reggae record label in the world – alleging she was ‘tricked’ and ‘robbed’ out of royalties. 

At the time, she said that big name reggae artists were “dying in poverty”, trying to sell their rights to get a decent burial and her case was just a tip of the iceberg.

Jamaican music

In 2022, UK-based performance rights organisation Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) told The Voice, Jamaican music continues to generate hundreds of thousands of pounds every year in the country.

In a 2022 statement to The Voice, a spokesperson from PPL said: “UK usage of Jamaican recorded music between 2015 and 2021 generated, on average, around £500,000 a year for Jamaican performers. 

“International usage (i.e. outside of Jamaica and the UK) of Jamaican recorded music across the same period generated, on average, £600,000 a year for Jamaican performers.” 

In 2020, Miley Cyrus settled a $300 million lawsuit with Jamaican songwriter Michael May, also known as Flourgon, over claims she stole his lyrics for her hit song We Can’t Stop.