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Salt-N-Pepa’s legal battle with Universal Music Group over control of their master recordings has been dismissed by a New York judge. The ruling ends the duo’s attempt to reclaim ownership of their early catalog through copyright termination notices filed in 2022.
The pioneering rap group sought to terminate UMG’s ownership of their recordings, but the label argued the notices were invalid, claiming the music qualified as “works made for hire.” UMG also maintained that Salt-N-Pepa never held ownership rights to the masters, a position that ultimately prevailed in court.
According to the dismissal, the judge determined that Salt-N-Pepa had granted ownership of the recordings to their first label, Noise in the Attic (NITA) Productions. The contracts governing the music were between Next Plateau Records and NITA, which is owned by Hurby Azur, not directly by the group.
“None of the contracts identified by Plaintiffs indicate that they ever owned the Master Tapes,” the dismissal states. The judge further noted that under copyright law, artists can only terminate transfers they personally executed, not agreements made by third parties such as NITA.
“As a result,” the ruling concluded, “Plaintiffs do not plausibly allege a claim for declaratory relief,” effectively closing the case and leaving ownership of the disputed recordings unchanged.
