Rod Wave Sued By Photographer Over ‘Final Lap’ Album Cowl Copyright

Rod Wave is dealing with a brand new authorized battle over the duvet artwork for his 2024 album Final Lap. A Florida photographer has filed a lawsuit accusing the rapper and his group of utilizing considered one of his photographs with out permission. And he claims that the performer is profiting closely from it throughout album artwork, merch, and tour promotion.

Billboard reported that in accordance with a criticism filed Thursday (Dec. 11), Tampa-based photographer Allan Salas says he shot the picture in query throughout Rod Wave’s August 2024 hometown live performance. The picture, which exhibits Rod gripping a mic stand mid-performance, later appeared because the official Final Lap album cowl. Salas claims he was by no means paid, by no means licensed the picture and that Rod’s group ignored specific warnings that he owned the rights.

The criticism claims that regardless of releasing the album with the unapproved {photograph}, the defendants went on to make use of it much more broadly with out permission, per paperwork reviewed by Billboard. The swimsuit cites that he plastered the picture throughout promotional supplies for his 28-date enviornment tour. As well as, Salas argues he offered it on merchandise, together with T-shirts.

“Though the defendants had already commercially launched the album, which contained unauthorized makes use of of the {photograph}, the defendants doubled down and tripled down on their unauthorized use,” his attorneys reportedly wrote within the lawsuit.

Final Lap debuted on No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and spent 56 weeks on the chart. Salas says that the industrial success of Final Lap solely deepened the damages. Within the submitting, Salas says he was granted entry to shoot the Tampa live performance however maintained possession of all of the images he took that night time. He claims Rod’s group was knowledgeable of that reality. Nonetheless, he says they continued to make use of the image throughout main revenue-driving platforms with out securing any license or compensation.

Sadly this is not the primary information of a lawsuit for Rod Wave. Earlier this yr, he was hit with an enormous $27 million lawsuit from his former live performance promoter Grizzly Touring LLC. The promoter alleged that Rod Wave breached his contract and didn’t return his advance cash. It stays to be seen what the result of those lawsuits might be for the artist.