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Brands & Merch Business News Legal
Frank Ocean sued by Chipotle over Wonka song
By Andy Malt | Published on Tuesday 11 March 2014
Frank Ocean is being sued by US restaurant chain Chipotle over a claim that he failed to deliver a song for an advertisement, despite agreeing to and being paid 50% of his fee.
The Mexican Grill restaurant operator says that Ocean agreed to record a version of ‘Pure Imagination’, a song originally written for the soundtrack of the film ‘Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory’, after see an earlier version of an animated advert. He was paid $212,500 up front, says the company, with a further $212,500 due upon delivery of the recording. However, on 7 Aug, the deadline for delivery, Ocean allegedly informed the company that he had decided to pull out of the project.
Ocean’s legal team say that the singer bailed on the project after it became clear he had been misinformed about the restaurant chain’s plans. They say their client was originally told that the video was being made to promote responsible farming, and would not bear the Chipotle logo. They also say that he was promised approval on the final master and all advertising surrounding the video. But Chipotle denies that this was the case.
Following Ocean’s departure from the project, a version of the song by Fiona Apple was used for the advert, which you can see here:
Chipotle is suing for the advance paid to Ocean, plus additional damages to be determined if and when the case reaches court.
