Interscope Hit With $25 Million Lawsuit Over Gigi Perez Recording Rights

Interscope Records is facing a lawsuit seeking more than $25 million over the recording rights to Gigi Perez, with an early label partner claiming Universal Music Group improperly redirected the singer’s rights to another UMG label after her career took off.

Mogul Vision LLC sued UMG Recordings Inc. on September 30, 2026, in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging breach of contract over a 2021 deal involving Perez. The company claims Interscope was required to transfer certain recording rights to Mogul after ending its relationship with the artist but instead allowed those rights to move to Island Records.

Perez has since become a major streaming artist. According to the complaint, her catalog had generated more than 3.1 billion Spotify streams and more than 5 billion streams across all platforms by the time the lawsuit was filed.

Mogul also claims UMG failed to provide accounting required under their agreement, leaving the company without profits it says it was entitled to receive from Perez’s subsequent success. The lawsuit seeks more than $25 million in damages for alleged lost profits, harm to goodwill, and other losses.

Mogul Vision, founded by music manager Josh Marshall, says it entered a profit-sharing agreement with UMG in September 2021 alongside an exclusive recording deal involving Perez. The complaint states that Perez was marketed as a Mogul Vision and Interscope artist while the companies jointly worked on her development for roughly two years.

The relationship changed in June 2023, when Interscope told Mogul it wanted to end its involvement with Perez, according to the suit. Mogul alleges the label did so without following the notice, consultation, and contractual process required by their agreement.

The dispute centers on what happened to Perez’s recording rights after that relationship ended.

Mogul claims Interscope retained rights connected to future Perez albums even though the agreement required those interests to be transferred to Mogul. The company argues those contractual rights remained enforceable after Interscope ended its involvement with the singer.

Perez later found wider success after songs including “Celene” and “Sometimes (Backwood)” gained traction on TikTok. According to the complaint, her growing popularity led to a competitive bidding process for her recording services.

She was ultimately signed through Outtahere LLC to Island Records, another label under the Universal Music Group umbrella. Her single “Sailor Song” later became an international hit, including in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Mogul alleges that the Island deal effectively placed the economic value of rights it claims belonged to Mogul back within the same corporate music group.

That allegation is central to the breach of contract case. The court will have to determine what rights the 2021 agreements gave Mogul after Interscope ended its relationship with Perez and whether UMG had a continuing obligation to transfer or account for those interests.

Mogul says it helped discover Perez and pushed for her original signing, then continued developing and supporting her during the Interscope partnership. Its claim for damages is tied to the revenue it says it would have received had the contractual rights been transferred and accounted for as required.

UMG has yet to answer the allegations in court. The case is at an early stage, and Mogul’s claims have not been tested before a judge.