Stan Walker pauses film shoot after legal wrangle
Chart-topping New Zealand pop singer Stan Walker has pressed pause on his latest music video, ahead of an upcoming new single.
It’s understood Walker canned today’s video shoot south of Auckland because of a legal wrangle with a songwriter based in the United States.
Walker, a five-album veteran with several movie credits under his belt, including the critically acclaimed 2016 box office smash Hunt for the Wilderpeople, has a new music tour planned in November.
The star’s management team has played down the legal issues, saying the shoot for the music video was postponed because the track uses a sample needing ‘‘clearance’’.
A video production industry insider approached said large music video shoots involving several cameras and production units could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and can also rack-up postponement or cancellation costs.
Music industry lawyer Chris Hocquard said it was difficult to know exactly what had happened without more information but believed the legal wrangling likely involved money.
‘‘It’s not typical but it does happen this late. The reason is, it’s a brand new song.’’
Even if recording artists happily collaborated, business interests could get in the way, he said.
‘‘Creatives get in a room and create something together, it all goes great, they love each other and then at the other end the businessmen get involved, the publicists and the record companies start to look and things can come a little unstuck.’’
‘‘If it’s a dispute over songwriting it’ll Publicists and the record companies start to look and things can come a little unstuck. Music industry lawyer be a dispute over the percentages of the song, it’s hard to know, if they’re making a music video the plan is it’s going to be one of Stan’s singles and Stan and his people are probably going ‘well, we’re not going to release a single if we’re not really clear around arrangements are’.’’
The Auckland-based lawyer said cancelling a music video could have an effect on a recording artist’s marketing plan as the new single’s music video was often shot just days before the single got released.
If a dispute over a song wasn’t resolved, recording artists like Walker could just move on.
‘‘It won’t be the only song he’s recorded, it’ll just be the first choice, either they’ll resolve this over the next couple of days or move on to the next one.’’ what the around the commercial songwriting