Tame Impala Reportedly Missing Around $1 Million In Royalties

The unpaid Tame Impala royalties saga involving Modular Recordings and its co-owner Universal Music Australia continues, with new allegations that Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker may be around $1 million out of pocket.

Modular and Universal were first called to the US Federal Court over unpaid Tame Impala royalties worth at least USD$450,000 (AUD$588,150), but now, according to The Australian, another USD$350,000 to USD$400,000 in overseas royalties are also in dispute, taking the maximum reported total to around AUD$1.1 million.

BMG Rights Management, who publish Parker’s music, are suing Modular founder Stephen Pavlovic and Universal Music Australia for unpaid mechanical royalties. Universal have said the lawsuit is “baseless”, and have alleged that Pavlovic has “wrongfully retained” money from an undisclosed Modular act.

In newly-released NSW Supreme Court documents, Universal describes Pavlovic as, “A person prepared to lie and give a false account of past events in an ­attempt to advance his interests in the case.” Pavlovic denies Universal’s claims and says the record label owes him $32,500 in unpaid annual leave.

In a statement via his lawyers, Pavlovic has noted that no mechanical royalties have been paid to BMG for Tame Impala songs, but blamed Universal for any non-payment since January 2014. Universal denies this and says Pavlovic is responsible.

Pavlovic’s case regarding the “wrongfully retained” money from an undisclosed Modular act is to be heard in the NSW Supreme Court, today.

Watch: Tame Impala – Cause I’m A Man (Official Live Video)

Photos: Tame Impala – Big Day Out 2014, Melbourne 24/01/14 / Photos: Anwar Rizk

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