“It’s time for the industry to acknowledge the value of the creatives who bring the music to life and compensate them fairly,” said Melvin Moore, also known as 4Rest, in his lawsuit again singer Chlöe Bailey.
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Moore is the songwriter behind a recent $15 million suit against R&B singer Chlöe Bailey. According to Moore, Bailey allegedly “exploited” him by not compensating him for his work on her most recent album, Trouble In Paradise. Moore also alleges that the singer did not credit him for his work on the album.
Moore is known professionally as 4Rest. He claimed that three songs from the above-mentioned albums were “derived from [Melvine Moore’s] intimate and real-life situations, reflecting his relationships, emotions, and personal struggles.” The songs in question include “Same Lingerie”, “Favorite”, and “Might As Well”.
Moore has worked with quite a few big names in the industry, from Trey Songz to Chris Brown. In the suit, he notes that he was not properly credited nor compensated for songs he provided to Bailey that contained “significant emotional and creative investment.”
The songwriter goes on to allege that Bailey and others on her team “falsely registered the Works under their names and exploited the Works for commercial gain across multiple revenue-generating commercially viewable platforms without authorization.”
Chlöe Bailey Might Be in Big Trouble After Getting Hit With $15 Million Lawsuit
The lawsuit in question is a whopping 33 pages long and was filed in New York on February 20. In addition to Bailey, Moore has also named Sony Music, Parkwood Entertainment, and Columbia Records in the suit. According to the suit, Moore is seeking about $5 million in damages per song and $150,000 per infringement.
Moore also claimed that his attorney sent a cease and desist to Bailey with a DMCA violation last month. However, Bailey continued to promote the songs on social media.
“Many songwriters, producers, and artists are routinely underpaid and mistreated, their talent exploited under the false promise of opportunity,” Moore added. “This cycle must end.”
Tiffany Red, the founder of The 100 Percenters, also advocated for Moore.
“This case is an undeniable example of the systemic exploitation songwriters face in the music industry,” said Red.
It’s not clear what will come of the suit as of now. Bailey and her team have yet to publicly respond to the allegations.
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ESSENCE
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