Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has made a legal claim to owning the masters of his Reasonable Doubt album amid Damon Dash’s Roc-A-Fella Records stake buyout drama.
The news comes as a disheartening warning to potential buyers at the auction, especially as the album is the label’s most valuable asset. Those who choose to proceed with bidding anyway would only reap the benefits of owning a third of the 1996 LP until 2031. By that point, the entire master recordings will go to Carter, as well as subsequent checks.
Despite the short-term earnings, bidders aiming to acquire the co-founder’s stake must cough up at least $1.2 million, the minimum bid in the auction.
TMZ broke the story in early August, revealing that Dash’s successor would own only a portion of Roc-A-Fella. As the new minority owner, the purchaser would have little influence over the company’s future operations.
Dash lost his stake in the record label earlier this year after losing an over $800,000 lawsuit by film director Josh Webber. Webber took legal action against Dash in 2022 for copyright infringement and defamation. To cover the payout designated in the civil judgment, Dash’s stake in Roc-A-Fella will be forfeited.
As for Reasonable Doubt, Jay-Z would have always been granted ownership of his album’s master recordings 35 years after its release. However, Dash did propose his selling of the album before, even as a shut-down NFT. In 2022, an agreement between Dash and Roc-A-Fella confirmed that the co-founder did not have “direct ownership interest” of the album. However, the revenue he earns could be transferred, alongside his stake in the label.
The actual sale must now be conducted through the U.S. Marshal. The public auction will take place Aug. 29 in Manhattan.
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