Timbaland and Swizz Beatz are suing Triller, a short-form music video app, for $28 million in breach of contract after the app purchased the duo’s live stream music platform Verzuz. According to the Washington Post, the complaint was filed on Tuesday, August 16, in Los Angeles Superior Court. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’s attorneys allege Triller ignored the payment demands and has already defaulted on them.
The pair were paid in January and April of last year, according to the complaint, but payments were due in January of this year and are still waiting. Despite the fact that all parties agreed to a new payment arrangement, the money did not come on time. Meanwhile, representatives for Triller, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland have yet to react. Swizz Beatz and Timbaland claimed that a percentage of their shares will be distributed to Verzuz artists like as DMX, Jeezy, Gucci Mane, Gladys Knight, and others.
This quote is funny because the overwhelming argument is that Verzuz went downhill when it “partnered” with Triller. It’s giving big “show up to class the day of the group presentation” vibes. pic.twitter.com/xgAoILlKQX
— Justin Tinsley (@JustinTinsley) August 17, 2022
Triller paid a significant price for Verzuz.
Triller announced in 2021 that it will purchase Verzuz for an unknown sum. It also signaled the end of their partnership with Apple Music. According to the deal, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz would join the Triller management team and become shareholders in the Triller Network. They will provide a portion of their ownership investment to 43 musicians associated with Verzuz, allowing them to continue their work in the music business.
Although the transaction specifics were not made public at the time, it was subsequently discovered that it was in the eight-figure range. It had to be paid in installments, with the first due at the time of closure, followed by another and two more due on the first and second anniversaries of the transaction.
While Triller failed to make payments, a new arrangement was struck in which Triller agreed to pay $9 million by March 17 and $500,000 to Timbaland and Swizz Beatz separately over the following ten months. Triller still did not pay, and after being served with a notice, they did not answer. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz are suing Triller for $28,095,000 in compensatory damages, as well as legal fees and expenses and pre-judgment interest.
Concerning Triller and Verzuz
Triller is a social networking site where users may make and share short movies, including those that are set to or automatically connected to music using artificial technology. The program, which was released in 2015, was first used primarily for video editing before evolving into a social networking platform. Triller rose to prominence in India when TikTok was banned, and he subsequently distributed pay-per-view boxing events.
Timbaland and Swizz Beatz produced the webcast series Verzuz. It debuted during the COVID-19 epidemic, when the pair competed in a DJ duel on Instagram Live. Timbaland and Swizz Beatz’s live-streaming rap battle program became a successful series, with several high-profile musicians such as John Legend, 2 Chainz, Alicia Keys, and others performing on the show.
