Manager Who Discovered Gigi Perez Says UMG Cut Him Out of Her Success Despite 50% Rights Deal

A music manager who claims he discovered Gigi Perez and secured her first major record deal alleges that Universal Music Group cut his company out of her breakout success, despite a contract entitling it to half the profits and certain ownership rights tied to her recordings.

Josh Marshall, founder of Mogul Vision, says UMG's Interscope Records agreed to surrender its interest in their joint venture if it stopped working with Perez. When the label dropped her in 2023, Marshall claims he invoked that provision and was assured the transfer would take place. Instead, the rights were allegedly withheld, and Perez later signed with Island Records, another UMG label.

The allegations are detailed in a September 30, 2026, lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeking more than $25 million in damages. Mogul Vision also asks the court to recognize its ownership interests in certain Perez recordings, arguing that Interscope's failure to honor their agreement deprived it of profits generated by the singer's subsequent success.

According to the complaint, Marshall brought Perez to Interscope during the summer of 2021, after her song "Sometimes (Backwood)" gained attention on TikTok. The label was initially reluctant to sign her, but Marshall says he personally advocated for the artist with Interscope chairman John Janick and senior executive Nicole Wyskoarko until they agreed to a deal.

That September, Mogul Vision and Interscope allegedly entered a joint venture under which Perez's music would be released through both labels. Marshall claims the agreement entitled Mogul Vision to 50% of the profits Interscope earned from her recordings, along with a 50% ownership interest in certain rights associated with the partnership.

The contract also allegedly included a provision allowing Mogul Vision to assume Interscope's role if the company decided to stop serving as the recording label for an artist covered by their agreement. Marshall contends that the provision gave his company the right to continue Perez's recording career independently if Interscope withdrew.

That scenario arose in 2023, following the release of Perez's EP How to Catch a Falling Knife. Interscope decided to drop her from its roster, although the complaint says she still owed four additional albums under the original recording agreement.

Marshall opposed the decision and invoked the contractual provision allowing Mogul Vision to take over Interscope'sinterests. According to the lawsuit, label executives informally assured him that the transfer would occur, but the company ended its relationship with Perez without completing it.

The dispute centers on whether Interscope's withdrawal triggered an enforceable obligation to transfer its interests and whether UMG breached that obligation. Mogul Vision's claim depends on the terms of the 2021 agreement and the rights it allegedly retained when the joint venture ended.

Perez's career took a different direction in 2024, when her growing popularity reportedly sparked a competitive bidding process among record labels. She ultimately signed with Island Records, another company within Universal Music Group, which subsequently released songs including "Normalcy," "Please Be Rude" and "Sailor Song."

"Sailor Song" became an international hit and reached No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the complaint, Perez's music has generated more than 3.1 billion streams on Spotify and an estimated five billion across all platforms, underscoring the commercial value of the recording relationship at issue.

Mogul Vision alleges that the move to Island Records allowed UMG to benefit from a recording relationship that Marshall helped establish and that his company was contractually entitled to continue. The complaint argues that Perez's later success should have occurred under Mogul Vision's control if Interscope had honored its agreement.

The fact that Interscope and Island operate under the same corporate parent is central to the allegations. Mogul Vision claims UMG retained the economic value of Perez's recording career within its label network while denying the company the rights and profits allegedly promised under the joint venture.

Beyond seeking monetary damages, Mogul Vision wants the court to establish its claimed ownership interests in certain recordings. That request would require an examination of the original agreement, the circumstances surrounding Interscope's withdrawal, and whether the disputed rights should have transferred to Mogul Vision.

Perez is not named as a defendant and is not accused of wrongdoing. The claims concern UMG's alleged contractual obligations to Mogul Vision rather than any misconduct by the singer.

The lawsuit remains at an early stage, and the allegations have not been established in court. Mogul Vision must prove that the agreement granted the rights it claims, that UMG breached those obligations, and that the alleged breach caused the financial losses for which it seeks compensation.