The Carpenters sue Universal Music Group in unpaid royalties suit
A surviving member of US singing duo The Carpenters has sued Universal Music Group (UMG) over unpaid royalties.
Richard Carpenter, the surviving member of the band, has sued UMG over royalties for songs he recorded with the duo at the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Los Angeles, Central District, on Wednesday, January 11.
The Carpenters were popular in the 1970s and formed of brother and sister duo, Karen and Richard Carpenter.
They were signed to A&M Records, now a subsidiary of UMG, in April 1969.
The Carpenters’ hits included “Rainy Days and Mondays”, “Superstar” and “For All We Know”. They were nominated for a number of Grammy Awards and won three Grammys in 1970 and 1971.
In the suit, Carpenter claimed that UMG only paid a “miniscule fraction” of money owed from downloads from platforms including Amazon and Apple’s iTunes and that he is owed at least $2 million in royalties.
The suit was also filed on behalf of Karen Carpenter, who died in 1983.
Richard Carpenter hired accountants from Gelfand, Rennert & Feldman, to examine financial statements from UMG and A&M Records.
He said that the accountants found “multiple accounting errors” in the statements and also that the labels “improperly classified” revenue from the sales of physical and digital records.
Additionally, Carpenter claimed that the number of digital downloads was “grossly undercounted”.
In a statement obtained by WIPR, Carpenter said:“I regret that I have been unable to amicably resolve this serious royalty dispute with Universal and A&M. The 'Carpenters' recordings are among the best sellers in the history of popular music and after 48 years continue to contribute a substantial amount to UMG/A&M's annual bottom line.
"It seems only fair that these companies account fairly to my sister's estate and to me. I look forward to proving the allegations in court," he added.
Larry Iser, partner at law firm Kinsella Weitzman Iser Kump & Aldisert, and the lawyer acting on behalf of The Carpenters, said: “It is unfortunate that The Carpenters were forced to file this lawsuit primarily over an issue that has already been resolved by the courts—but which these record companies still refuse to acknowledge—that digital downloads occur pursuant to licence and are not sales of records."
He added: "That’s what the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit said about the recordings of Eminem, and that’s what the court here will rule about the treasured music of The Carpenters.”
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