A few days after celebrating her 85th birthday with a lavish party, Dionne Warwick is being hit with a lawsuit.
Per Digital Music News, the soulful icon is being sued by Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation, the company that negotiated her deal for the sample of her song “Walk on By” used in Doja Cat’s “Paint the Town Red.”
The company alleges breach of contract and “unjust enrichment.” They claim the singer has turned her back on a deal that saw the firm receiving 50% of her royalties “in perpetuity.” In exchange, the company says they provided resources and assistance to Warwick for decades “at no cost to her so that she could obtain fair compensation for her vast body of work which she had not been receiving.”
Who is the plaintiff?
As the lawsuit notes, Artists Rights Enforcement Corporation, “assists artists, songwriters, and music publishers with the collection of royalties and other fees due [to] them from the use of their artistic material or musical performances. This work includes assisting them in obtaining and paying for negotiations and litigation against record companies and music publishers over royalty disputes.”
The company fronts the costs for its work and takes a percentage of any monies recovered as a proximate result of its work.
The relationship between Warwick and Artists Rights
Artist Rights and Dionne Warwick commenced their partnership in 2002 after the singer’s lawsuit against Atlantic Records. Artists Rights began handling her royalties, issues with SoundExchange, matters involving Sony Music paying royalties to the state of California to cover unpaid taxes, and the 2023 clearance of the sample famously used in Doja Cat’s hit “Paint the Town Red.”
Part of the agreement between Artists Rights and Warwick was forrecord companies to send all future royalty statements and payments directly to Artists Rights. The firm has received all royalty payments for distribution for over 20 years, according to the complaint.
However, the company claims Warwick is trying to back out of the deal.
The company’s lawyers say “After decades of service, Ms. Warwick is now trying to evade paying Artists Rights hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars. In doing so, she has violated her contracts with Artists Rights.”
Artist Rights claims Warwick’s royalties “increased approximately sixtyfold” after negotiating deals on her behalf against Warner Bros., Warner Special Products (WSMP) and Atlantic.
Lawyers for Artists Rights wrote: “On information and belief, Ms. Warwick, either personally or through her legal counsel, has asked Rhino, Sony and PPL to pay her instead of Artist Rights.”
Doja Cat’s “Paint The Town Red”
Doja Cat’s 2023 single “Paint The Town Red” achieved much success in it’s initial release. As Billboard reports, it reached No.1 in it’s fifth week on Billboard, reached No.1 on the Hot 100, and received nearly 30M streams, largely thanks to it’s virality on TikTok.
“When I heard that it had been done, I hope ‘Walk on By’ is as good for her as it has been for me,” Warwick said on The Kelly Clarkson Show in December 2023. “They’re great songs, and finally [they’re] being exposed to some good music.”
Dionne Warwick is a renowned singer and actress who started her career in the 1960s. Her hits, among many, include “Walk on By” and “I Say a Little Prayer.” Throughout her career, Warwick won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Grammy Hall of Fame, the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Apollo Theater Walk of Fame. In 2019, Warwick won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.