The lawsuit comes as the singer is enjoying a big moment with “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
Rising country star Shaboozey has sued Warner Chappell, claiming the major music publisher is delaying his efforts to buy his way out of his contract in light of the success of his smash hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Friday and filed by Rolling StoneShaboozey claims he tried to invoke a clause in his contract with the government that would allow him to pay 110 percent of his uncollected debts so he could end the contract early. Such a move would be particularly advantageous and lucrative given the popularity of “Tipsy.”
The singer’s representatives sent a letter to Warner-Tamerlane (a subsidiary of Warner Chappell) last month about the deal and asked for the amount still owed, but the publisher has not cooperated, the lawsuit says. “To date, Warner has refused to disclose to plaintiff the total amount of uncollected amounts, thereby violating the administration agreement,” the lawsuit says.
Also named as a defendant in the case is a music company called Kreshendo, Shaboozey’s original record label and publishing company. The singer claimed that Kreshendo instructed Warner not to give him the information about the uncollected amount.
Shaboozey sued both Warner and Kreshendo for breach of contract. Warner did not immediately respond to Rolling StonePlease leave a comment. A contact for Kreshendo could not be found.
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is one of the biggest songs of the year and a strong contender for song of the summer. With 643 million Spotify streams to date, the song has also been a hit on streaming and radio. It has spent the last five weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“The feeling of ‘dreams coming true’ is indescribable and I hope everyone gets to experience that at some point in their life,” Shaboozey wrote on X when the song first topped the charts.
