Some of the biggest names in American music or their estates are suing Universal Music Group Inc. for more than $6 million, claiming the company has been cheating them out of royalties for years.
The plaintiffs include Patti Page, and the estates of Count Basie, Sarah Vaughan, Woody Herman, Les Brown, Benny Goodman and the Mills Brothers.
The lawsuit, filed late Thursday in Manhattan’s state Supreme Court, says Universal Music and one of its subsidiaries have “pervasively and systematically breached” agreements with the artists by using accounting tricks since at least 1998.
The lawsuit seeks at least $6.07 million plus attorneys’ fees and punitive damages.
A representative at Universal Music said the authorized spokesman was traveling and not immediately available to comment.
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