Less than two weeks after getting sued by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz for $28 million in missed Verzuz payments, Triller is once again being accused of flaking on its bills. Per Billboard, Sony Music Entertainment filed a lawsuit against the app Monday. The record label claims that since March this year, the TikTok competitor has “failed to make any monthly payments required under the Agreement, totaling millions of dollars.†Sony is reportedly suing for copyright infringement, claiming that even after receiving a termination notice, Triller is continuing to use music from Sony artists on its app. In response, Triller shared a statement with Vulture saying that it has not yet been served, and the “lawsuit from Sony Music grossly mischaracterizes our relationship with them and leans into the bully persona large music labels are often criticized for.†They added that as of August 30, all “identified Sony music†has been removed from the network.
Sony — home to Beyoncé, Shakira, Harry Styles, Lil Nas X, and more — says it notified Triller it was in material breach of their agreement on July 22, then terminated their deal August 8. You might recall that something similar happened last year, when Universal Music Group pulled its artists from Triller over withheld payments. An agreement was eventually reached, and UMG music went back on the app. We’re not sure if a similar resolution will be released this time. After all, it seems difficult for Sony to negotiate a deal to get its catalogue back up if said catalogue was never taken down in the first place.
This story has been updated with additional information.