CBS News:
They make millions from fans who love their music, but an exclusive CBS Atlanta investigation found big names in hip hop are stiffing the little guys who help them get to the top.
Recording engineers in Atlanta have provided CBS Atlanta with unpaid invoices and court judgments going back years. They said lack of payment by producers and record labels has become a huge problem, devastating their businesses in some cases.
According to a Gwinnett County court judgment provided by recording engineer Tony Terrebonne, mega hit producer Polow Da Don owes more than $20,000 in unpaid studio services and attorneys fees.
Terrebonne said $8,0000 of that is for his work on the Chris Brown hit “Forever.” Terrebonne provided an invoice that shows he is owed $480 for Usher’s “Love In The Club.”
Terrebonne said he has stopped working for Polow because he was owed $50,000 at one point. “It's a lot of hard work, I'll be up for three days straight and I won't get paid for it. It's insane,” said Terrebonne who moved in with his parents and sold his car.
CBS Atlanta received a statement from Polow Da Don’s company, Zone 4. It reads “Polow always handles all of his business vendors with the utmost respect and timely payment, but this situation is a unique private dispute and as such Polow will not dignify any celebrity smear campaign by comment.”
“You’re listening to music that hasn’t been paid for,” said Josh Butler, recording engineer and owner of 11th Street Studio in Atlanta.
Past due invoices provided by 11th Street Studio showed rapper Young Jeezy owed Butler more than $20,000. “I’m not sure why they’re not paying because a lot of these guys are multi-millionaires,” said Butler.
Invoices and judgments show singer and producer Phalon Alexander –-better known as Jazze Pha-- owes more than $135,000 to four studios including Zac Recording.
Zac Owner, Jim Zumpano contacted CBS Atlanta about the issue because he said he is tired of his colleagues “getting dogged.”
The music stars “are out partying on my money,” said Zumpano. “I'm looking for that money to help me run my business.”
Terrebonne said he has tried to make sense of why these stars fail to pay up. “They’re super stars. They live in a different world than we do. Money means something different to them,” said Terrebonne.
After CBS Atlanta began asking about the unpaid bills, some recording engineers received payment.
Butler received $20,000 from YJ Entertainment, Young Jeezy’s company. Zumpano received about $2,000 from TSG Financial Management on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. TSG represents Jazze Pha.
The other producers, singers and managers would not explain why the payments were not made until CBS Atlanta inquired.
That's sad and trifling....I would lock the doors and turn off the electricity, holding they asses hostage until I got my money(LOL)
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ReplyDeleteThey make all that money and didn't do a Damn thing with it. I was like that until I went through the homeless stage. The rich are rich for nothing and selfish, and when they can't pay their bills, its an embarrassment. Knowing they can't manage money; spending it all Willy nilly.
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