No longer out of touch, Hall & Oates resolve legal dispute
Hitmakers Daryl Hall and John Oates have been tied in a legal knot since 2023, when Oates attempted to sell his stake in the group to the publishing company Primary Wave.
(Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
With private eyes watching them, Daryl Hall and John Oates (mustache) quietly resolved their legal dispute that dates back to 2023, per Variety. At the heart of the matter between the ’70s and ’80s hitmakers was Oates’ intention to sell his stake in Whole Oats Enterprises, which holds the band’s name, likeness, and royalties, to Primary Wave. The publishing company Primary Wave has been buying music catalogs for the past 15 years, acquiring stakes in, basically, the American pop music songbook, with such acquisitions as stakes in Nirvana, Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, Sun Records, Prince, and James Brown. Should Oates sell his stake to the group, it would function similarly to Primary Wave’s 50% ownership of Kurt Cobain’s stake in Nirvana. Ironically, it was buying Cobain’s stake in the legendary grunge outfit that kickstarted founder Lawrence Mestel’s entire business model.
