T.I. Sues Cinq Music Over $52M Master Recording Dispute

It looks like T.I. is heading back to court, this time accusing Cinq Music of trying to drastically inflate the price of his own master recordings. The Grammy-winning artist claims the company is refusing to honor an agreement that would allow him to repurchase his catalog at a much lower, pre-negotiated price.

A Catalog Deal Gone Sour

The whole situation goes back to a 2017 deal where Cinq Music acquired the rights to a significant portion of T.I.’s music from his Atlantic Records era. According to court documents, T.I. (legal name Clifford Joseph Harris) only agreed to the sale because the contract included a crucial option: the right to buy back his albums later under what he describes as “very favorable” terms. This catalog includes major hits like ‘King,’ ‘T.I. vs. TIP,’ and ‘Paper Trail.’

Fast forward to 2024, when T.I. decided to exercise this buy-back option. However, instead of honoring the original terms, the lawsuit alleges that Cinq Music attempted to dramatically increase the repurchase price by altering the agreed-upon pricing formula.

From $3 Million to $52 Million?

T.I.’s attorney, Robert Jacobs, stated that Cinq Music “regretted that it had agreed to the [option terms], and, therefore… did everything it could to frustrate plaintiffs’ efforts to complete the purchase.” The rapper argues that the original formula should have capped the repurchase price at no more than $3 million. Shockingly, he claims Cinq Music came back demanding a whopping $52 million – nearly 20 times the agreed-upon amount!

The lawsuit further points out that the contract specifically excluded revenue from digital streaming platforms like Spotify when calculating the sale price. T.I. contends that Cinq improperly included income from streaming, foreign sources, and other revenue streams that were explicitly not permitted under the original agreement. This exclusion, the lawsuit argues, was significant given that streaming was already a major driver of music industry revenue in 2017.

What Happens Next?

As of the time of reporting, Cinq Music had not publicly responded to these allegations. It’s important to note that Atlantic Records is not involved in this lawsuit and is not accused of any wrongdoing.