RIta Ora To Sue Record Label Roc Nation; Singer Funded Own Promotional And Recording Costs?
Singer Rita Ora is seeking to end her agreement with Jay Z's Roc Nation, claiming the record label is violating California's "seven-year rule," according to Daily Mail.
This was seen in the lawsuit filed Thursday, at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
At the age of 18, Rita Ora received her first break when she was signed to the rap mogul's record label and she only released one self-titled album, "Ora" since she was signed.
The singer claims she has been forgotten by the company because of the different direction it is now taking.
"When Rita signed, Roc Nation and its senior executives were very involved with her as an artist," the complaint states, revealed The Hollywood Reporter. "Rita's remaining supporters at the label left or moved on to other activities, to the point where she no longer had a relationship with anyone at the company."
The lawsuit also cited that Roc Nation's interest in streaming service Tidal and sports management were a few examples of the company's other endeavors. The documents mention as well, that the record label has "diminished with only a handful of admittedly worthy heritage superstar artists," cited Rolling Stone.
Rita Ora has cited Labor Code §2855, or in common terms is known as the "seven year rule." A section of the state's labor code says that after seven calendar years from when the deal began, a court cannot enforce a personal service contract.
In 1944, actress Olivia de Haviland filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. and used the code successfully, which set a precedent for future cases in the industry.
Haviland claimed that Warner Bros. was extending her contract unfairly. The movie studio countered saying the "seven year rule" only applied the days the performer actually worked. Weekends, holidays, and time in between projects for example, should not be included.
The California Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the actress and the old studio system suffered a severe blow.
The suit also said that Ora has been funding her own "promotional television appearances, recording costs and other video projects," revealed Billboard.
Rita Ora's contract include the a "pay or play" provision, the option of five albums and other limitations. She argues that her case is unique because of only one album recorded and released by Roc Nation, despite having enough music to make several albums more.
