Today (Friday), Donald Glover, known professionally as Childish Gambino, filed a lawsuit against his former label Glassnote Records in an ongoing royalties dispute. In documents viewed by Pitchfork, Glover says the independent label owes him more than $10,000 in streaming royalties and has been miscalculating payments in breach of their licensing agreement. The suit alleges breaches of contract, good faith, fair dealing, and fiduciary duty, as well as negligance.
Glover’s suit is in response to the complaint that Glassnote filed on July 6, requesting a judge mediate their contract dispute in court. “Donald Glover made a claim that he was owed 95% of SoundExchange royalties when we are legislatively and contractually required to share those royalties 50/45,” a Glassnote representative said to Pitchfork earlier this summer. “We are not asking for anything back from Donald Glover, just that we are able to retain the monies that are contractually and legally ours and that have already been paid to us.”
In the new suit, Glover denies the claims made by Glassnote in their complaint, alleging that Glassnote has retained 100% of Glover’s net SoundExchange royalties. He is seeking dismissal of the complaint and his owed royalties, plus more in damages.
Glover released three albums on Glassnote between 2011 and 2016 (Camp, Because the Internet, and “Awaken, My Love!”). In January 2018, it was announced that he had signed a deal with RCA.
Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for Glover and Glassnote for comment.
