Coldplay are said to be paying their former manager Dave Holmes more than £10m. He demands that in a lawsuit against the band of singer Chris Martin (46), as can be seen from court documents that are said to be available to the US industry magazine “Variety”.
The magazine first reported in mid-August that Holmes, who had been the band’s manager for more than two decades, had filed a lawsuit against Coldplay in the UK. A spokesman for the group had confirmed that Coldplay and Holmes had previously split.
The former Coldplay manager has now submitted documents according to which the band have not kept a promised contract for further albums. Coldplay is said to have received an advance totaling £65m (around €76m) for planned records. Holmes is said to have been given a commission for this. According to a previous contract, he allegedly received between eight and 13 percent commission for the albums “Everyday Life” (2019) and “Music of the Spheres” (2021).
Behind the scenes, Holmes was responsible, among other things, for the logistics surrounding the preparation and recording of the other albums. He is now asking the court to recognize a contract for Coldplay’s tenth and eleventh albums and the payment of an outstanding commission. Alternatively, he asks for “payment of a reasonable fee” for his work, which his lawyers estimate at around twelve million euros.
“Dave Holmes successfully managed Coldplay for more than 22 years and turned them into one of the most successful bands in music history,” Phil Sherrell, who represents Holmes, told the magazine. As the present case now shows, Coldplay allegedly refuses to honor Holmes’ contract and to pay him what is due to him.
However, a spokesman for the band said that Holmes’ contract with the band expired at the end of 2022 and that it was decided not to renew the contract. The matter is in the hands of the band’s lawyers and they vigorously deny the allegations.
