Love Renaissance

One of the biggest artists in the world going against one of the biggest labels in the world.

And even reading that Love Renaissance is part of this.

Part of this whole debacle is surprising to me, too.

I didn't know she was at odds with them like that, especially after, like, all the music they've created in the past.

No, I just love thinking about this stuff because it all goes back to narrative, man.

I mean, there's a reason why we've had so many stakeholders from LVRN here in Atlanta, the record label and management company on the podcast is because like they really understand narrative.

So we had someone talk about the whole belly gang Kush, you know, narrative around his like biracial, you know, you know, you know, mom and dad.

Right.

What's poppin', y'all? How y'all feelin'? Today we talkin' about this situation with Summer Walker.

She has a gripe with LVRN, the label that believed in her and signed her and put money behind her.

And she has a problem with Interscope, the parent company that funded the whole thing.

We're gonna talk about it, but before we get started, you know what I need.

It says, in a recently filed 10-page lawsuit first obtained by Rolling Stone, Walker accuses Love Renaissance of locking her into a one-year-risk contract, misappropriating money from her budget, and denying her access to revenue generated by Amazon and YouTube pages.

featuring her name and likeness.

The LVRN agreement granted particularly oppressive and extensive rights to defend it and controlling influence over Walker, according to the new complaint, which was filed August 28th, but did not surface publicly until Tuesday.

The defendant has breached his fiduciary duties of good faith and fair dealing so severely to cause breach of agreement by defendant.

Summer Walker is fighting to get out of her record deal, but the fight has turned into two separate lawsuits.

First, Walker has sued Love Renaissance, better known as LVRN, the record label and management company that she says mishandled money connected to her career and failed to properly account for revenue associated with her name and likeness.

Second, Interscope Records, which partnered with LVRN on Walker's deal, has filed its own lawsuit seeking more than fifty million dollars in damages over recordings it claims she still owes under her contract.

Let that sink in.

One lawsuit is about an artist saying essentially, "I believe the people handling my business violated our agreement and I want out." And the other is about a record label saying, "If you leave before completing your contractual obligations, we believe you owe us substantial damages." And suddenly, the question is much bigger than whether an artist is happy with her record deal.

Let's get into it.

First, how did we get here? To understand these lawsuits, we have to start with the business relationship.

According to reporting by The Fader and Complex Magazine, Summer Walker signed a recording agreement involving LVRN and Interscope in twenty-seventeen.

And let's be clear.

I know Summer Walker has great money, and I know LVRN, they got money.

But the litigation is so expensive.

Do you think that them suing her is kind of like an indication of what she really means to them? Like, the fact that

Mm-hmm.

Um, Summer basically had tried to exit her joint recording contract, 'cause y'all know that she is signed to LVRN, right? That's like her like-

Sure.

[laughs] Well, okay, maybe not.

I mean, yeah, duh, everybody just knows that.

I think they do.

We're gonna be taught LVRN.

Yes.