Gospel Singer Erica Campbell of Mary Mary is Accused of Fraud, Hit with a Lawsuit Over Royalties!👀
Erica Campbell has been hit with a lawsuit. The gospel artist and Mary Mary reality star is being accused of owing her record distributor $70k.
Campbell is a Grammy winner urban contemporary gospel, Christian R&B and contemporary R&B recording artist, musician and radio host. She started her music career in 1998 with her younger sister, Tina Campbell, as part of the gospel music group, Mary Mary. Her solo music career began in 2013, and has since released two albums with Entertainment One Music. Since May 2016, she serves as the host of Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell with comedian Griff, that currently airs on Urban Gospel, which is owned by Radio One.
Here’s the backstory: According to our friends over at The Jasmine Brand. Last year, Campbell sued record distributor Entertainment One. In the suite she says that her husband’s — Warryn Campbell — record company, My Block Records, had a deal with Entertainment One. In the deal, they agreed to distribute two of her albums, “My Help” and “My Help 2.0”.
However, Campbell claims in the suit that despite writing several songs on the albums, she was not paid. She points out that E-One collected her music royalties and she believes that the sales were in excess of $2 million. She says that E-One explained not paying her, allegedly informing her that they didn’t make any profit and the money that was made, covered her album expenses.
In the lawsuit, it is also claimed that My Block entered into a separate deal with E-One. The agreement was to produce an album for Musiq Soulchild. In the suit, it is alleged that they were not properly compensated. My Block and Campbell sued seeking in excess of $500,000.
Here’s the latest: This month, Entertainment One denied Campbell and My Block’s allegations. The company counter-sued both accusing them of fraud.
E-One says that they signed the contract back in 2013. At the time, they say that the singer promised them that she was not under any restriction or prohibition, contractual or otherwise.
However, they say that after they released the albums, Sony Music informed them that Sony had not granted to Block any licenses over Campbell. They say that claims for unpaid songwriting royalties against E-One are false pointing out that at the time, Campbell was engaged in an exclusive publishing agreement with Sony and Bock had failed to secure the licenses.
E-One says that because of the deal, Campbell was legally obligated turn over a portion of songwriting monies she was paid directly to Sony as her music publishing designee.
The company insists that because Campbell did not inform them of the arrangement with Sony, they have had to pay $70,000 to Sony in mechanical royalties since 2015 in order to avoid any legal action by Sony.
E-One is suing Campbell and Block for fraud and seeking in excess of $70k in damages
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