Producers sue Tyla over Water royalties

Producers are suing Grammy winner Tyla and her label over the royalties from her hit song Water

The dispute centres around alleged improper compensation and credit allocation for the 2024 Grammy Award-winning single.

According to court documents filed in California, producers Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro claim they were unjustly excluded from fair participation in the song’s financial success.
The plaintiffs assert they made substantial creative contributions during the track’s March 2023 development session in Los Angeles, working alongside Rayan El-Hussein Goufar (professionally known as Rayo) and Awuku.

Industry convention typically divides publishing royalties equally among co-writers in such collaborations. However, the lawsuit alleges Awuku distributed shares unevenly – assigning himself an elevated 15% portion while allegedly shortchanging his collaborators with 10% allocations for Zucca, LoMastro, and Goufar, and just 5% for Christopher “Tricky” Stewart.

The legal filing emphasises that Zucca and LoMastro weren’t hired session players but creative partners entitled to full production credits. They contend Awuku improperly claimed sole producer recognition while secretly negotiating separate agreements with Tyla that excluded them from financial participation.

Attempts to settle the matter privately reportedly failed in July 2023 when Awuku allegedly refused to engage in good-faith discussions. The plaintiffs now seek court intervention to rectify what they describe as professional and financial harm.

With “Water” surpassing one billion streams on Spotify alone and earning music’s highest honours, the producers’ claims carry significant weight.

Their lawsuit demands:

Official recognition as principal producers
12.5% shares of publishing royalties each
Appropriate master recording royalties
SoundExchange digital performance payments
Compensation for reputational damage and lost revenue opportunities

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