Judge Denies Salt-N-Pepa’s Attempt to Obtain Master Recordings
The New York Times••entertainment
Key Points:
- A federal judge ruled that Salt-N-Pepa cannot regain copyrights to their earliest master recordings, including the hit "Push It," because they never owned those rights initially.
- The group sued Universal Music Group under the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows artists to terminate copyright grants after 35 years, but Universal argued the recordings were "works made for hire" and not reclaimable.
- Judge Denise Cote dismissed the lawsuit, stating that Salt-N-Pepa's contracts did not indicate ownership of the master tapes.
- Universal claimed it offered mediation to resolve the dispute, while Salt-N-Pepa served termination notices in 2022 that Universal did not honor.
- Salt-N-Pepa, inducted into the Rock & Roll
