Record label Domino has released a statement following its settlement last week with Four Tet, AKA Kieran Hebden, over a royalties dispute related to income from digital downloads and streaming.
Insisting that the terms of the settlement agreed between the two parties will not have an impact on future contracts, the label said: "Domino [is] pleased that Kieran Hebden has chosen to settle his 2020 claim and accepted financial terms first offered to him in November 2021.
"Kieran’s claim arose from differing interpretations of specific clauses in a contract entered into by Kieran and Domino in 2001 in the pre-streaming era, and the application of those clauses to streaming income. Since 2021, Kieran has added to and pursued his claim despite numerous attempts by Domino to settle the matter.
"Neither the Courts, nor the settlement terms, have made any determination as to how streaming should be categorised or streaming income split. The case now having been settled, we are glad to be able to dedicate our full attention to resourcing and supporting our artists and we wish Kieran continued success in his career."
Domino still owns the music that Hebden released via the label – which covers three albums, EPs and other releases – under a life of copyright contract. Speaking about this in a statement last week about the settlement with Domino, Hebden said: "I hope these types of life of copyright deals become extinct – the music industry isn’t definitive and given its evolutionary nature it seems crazy to me to try and institutionalise music in that way."
Under the terms of the agreement struck between Hebden and Domino, the label has now recognised his original claim to receive a 50 percent rate on royalties for all past and future streaming and download income. He was previously entitled to only 18 percent of royalties on a contract that the two parties agreed before the advent of streaming platforms and downloads.
The label has also agreed to compensate Hebden with £56,921, the amount that he and Domino agreed the label owes him from the last six years. It’s also been agreed that streaming and download income will now be treated as license income, rather than the same as a CD or vinyl sale, a key initial dispute between Hebden and Domino.
