Timbaland Sues Tour Promoters: Producer Accusses Firm of Ruining His Image/Concerts
Date: 09/12/08 | By Njai Joszor
Filed under: Hip Hop News, Timbaland
Hit making producer Timbaland has filed suit against an Brisbane-based Showtime Touring Group for unspecified damages and breach of contract after the group allegedly mishandled a string of tour dates.
In the 18-page suit, which was reviewed by Australia's The Herald Sun, Timbaland says he wants to set the record straight for his Australian fans concerning the "last-minute cancellations."
Showtime had agreed to pay Timbaland a $1.26 million performance fee for the tour -- or $250,000 ($US200,000) for each of the five scheduled shows -- but had failed to make the required payments. In the contract with Showtime, Timbaland agreed to perform for a minimum of 40 minutes and a maximum of an hour at each show.
Timbaland -- who is best known as the powerhouse music producer behind hits for chart stars including Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado -- also accused Showtime of releasing misleading information about the show, and arranging sponsorships and commercial tie-ins without his consent.
Timbaland had originally scheduled five shows -- in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland -- in July, but they were shifted to August before finally getting cancelled. "Timbaland initially offered to postpone the tour dates to permit Showtime to get its act together so that he could entertain his fans," the suit claims.
"Showtime, however, was still unable to comply with its basic contractual obligations, including failing to pay the star as agreed and failing to provide the required production elements for the tour. As a result, on the eve of Timbaland's first scheduled appearance, Showtime announced the official cancellation of the tour, disappointing hundreds of thousands of ticket-holding fans and subjecting Timbaland to considerable backlash in the Australian press, which falsely reported that the cancellation was due to Timbaland's wedding and honeymoon."
According to court documents obtained from New York District Court, Timbaland has requested that a jury hear the matter in a trial.
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Timb needs to get off that HGH. His head is going to explode if he doesn't!