Chris Brown Producer Ishmael Sadiq Montague Sues Sony Music for $1.25 Million

Ishmael Sadiq Montague, known professionally as ISM, has sued Sony Music Entertainment (SME) for at least US$1.2475 million, alleging royalty underpayments and interference with the sale of his royalty interests in Chris Brown’s “Party” to Xposure Music Holdings.

Royalty dispute:

• Montague claims his 2016 agreement entitled him to a 1.5% producer royalty on “Party,” representing his share of a 3% royalty with co-producer A1.

• He alleges Sony applied a rate of just 0.75%.

• The complaint does not quantify the alleged underpayment.

Alleged sale interferences:

• Montague agreed to sell his royalty interests in a number of recordings, including “Party,” to Xposure Music in June 2026.

• He alleges Sony delayed redirecting his royalty payments to Xposure by six weeks, citing additional documentation requirements he says were unjustified.

• Montague alleges Sony initially delayed the transfer to pressure him into accepting a payment-direction form waiving audit rights against Sony and related entities, including RCA Records and Chris Brown Entertainment LLC.

• He argues the alleged underpayment makes the waiver particularly significant, as it could limit scrutiny of the royalty accounting.

• According to the complaint, Sony subsequently provided an alternative payment-direction form without the disputed language, which he signed.

Legal claims:

• The complaint includes seven claims, including fraud, interference with the royalty sale, and alleged violations of New York’s law against deceptive business practices.

• Montague is seeking at least US$1.2475 million for the alleged conduct, plus punitive damages on his fraud claims, and a full accounting and court-supervised audit of his royalty account.