3LAU sued by collaborator for unjust enrichment over $11 million NFT sale

Justin Blau, famously known by his DJ alias 3LAU, made headlines last year for being the first musician to sell an album as an NFT. Ultraviolet, the album in question, earned him $11.7 million, when the artist gamified the sale in the last 3 minutes of the auction, having the timer reset every time someone was outbid. Singer-songwriter LUNA AURA, aka Angela Anne Flores, collaborated on the 2017 single “Walk Away,” which later appeared as the sixth song on the record. Rolling Stone confirms that Flores has now filed a lawsuit against Blau, accusing him of unjust enrichment and breach of contract.

The two artists entered a contract in November 2017, which stated that Flores would receive a “basic royalty rate” on top of her 30% cut in the song’s publishing. 3LAU entertainment, however, owns the sole and exclusive rights to the masters.

Per the lawsuit, Flores alleges she didn't get “any compensation from revenues generated from the NFT project, nor has LUNA AURA [received] appropriate credit in connection with the ‘Walk Away’ and Ultraviolet NFTs,” although all the album sales include a reference to their collaborative song.

Flores claims that the DJ/producer only offered her a one-time payment of $25,000, but no agreement was signed. The lawsuit adds that Blau “did not seek LUNA AURA’s permission or a license… to include her work in the auction, nor was LUNA AURA adequately compensated for her work.”

3LAU’s NFT page currently states that “a secondary marketplace where exclusive 3LAU Ultravolet collection NFTs can be bought and sold” is “coming soon.”

The FADER has reached out to 3LAU and LUNA AURA’s teams for comment.