It’s been 33 years since This Is Spinal Tap was released and the creators of the music are fighting for fair payment of their global music sales from the soundtrack.
The mockumentary was written by its stars, comedians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer, and director-actor Rob Reiner. Last fall, Shearer filed a $125 million lawsuit against Vivendi – the company that owns This Is Spinal Tap – for financial misappropriation and launched a website called Fairness Rocks explaining his lawsuit.
According to Rolling Stone, Shearer alleged that the company says the four creators between them have only earned $81 in merchandising income and $98 for their contributions to the movie's soundtrack.
Guest and McKean have since joined the lawsuit – elevating the level of damages they're seeking to $400 million.