Tyla’s ‘Water’ becomes subject of lawsuit over royalty dispute

• Xucca and LoMastro claim to be co-composers and co-authors of the song, entitled to 12.5% royalties, compared to the 10% given by producer Awuku.

Songwriters Olmo Zucca and Jackson LoMastro have filed a lawsuit against South African singer Tyla and her producer, Sammy SoSo Awuku, in a California court, alleging unfair royalty distribution for the hit song Water.

The plaintiffs claim they co-wrote and co-produced the track and are entitled to 12.5% of the royalties, rather than the 10% they were allocated by Awuku. The lawsuit also names Tyla’s record label, Epic, as a party to the case.

According to reports, Zucca and LoMastro attempted to resolve the dispute privately in July 2023, prior to the song’s release, but negotiations with Awuku were unsuccessful. They argue that by industry standards, producers should equally split 50% of the song’s publishing rights, meaning each should receive 12.5%. However, Awuku allegedly took 15% for himself and allocated 10% to Zucca, LoMastro, and another producer, Goufar, while giving 5% to Christopher Alan “Tricky” Stewart.

Court documents state that the Water recording session took place in Los Angeles between March 8-9, 2023, involving four producers: Zucca, LoMastro, Goufar, and Awuku. The plaintiffs claim they created multiple audio files, which were then transferred to Awuku’s computer and incorporated into the final master recording.

Zucca and LoMastro insist that all four producers contributed equally to the track and should receive equal credit and a fair share of royalties. The legal battle now raises questions about the transparency of royalty distribution in the music industry.