The mystery of why Daryl Hall obtained a restraining order against John Oates is at least partially solved, as part of the case has now been revealed by a Tennessee judge who previously ordered all details to be kept secret. Now it has been revealed that Hall is trying to stop his long-time music partner from selling his share of their joint venture to Primary Wave Music.
On Friday afternoon, the Associated Press first reported the actual reason for the injunction, after the judge quietly quashed some – but not nearly all – of the case two days earlier, on the eve of Thanksgiving.
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What Hall cannot pursue, according to the AP report, is Oates’ desire to sell his stake in the duo’s Whole Oats Enterprises to the investment firm, which already acquired a “significant” stake in its catalog rights 16 years ago. Hall has indicated that he regrets not owning all of his releases.
Chancellor Russell Perkins agreed to block Oates from selling for now, in response to claims from Hall’s lawyers that such action was imminent because Oates’ team had signed a letter of intent with Primary Wave.
The next court hearing is scheduled for November 30th. This proceeding will take place well in advance of the expected expiration of the current injunction.
According to the AP report, in the newly unsealed portion of the lawsuit, Hall’s team says that Oates’ team gave Primary Wave access to the duo’s joint business agreement, which was supposed to remain confidential. As a result, “the entire unauthorized transaction is the result of an undeniable breach of contract,” Hall’s lawyers claim.
Arbitration between the two singing teams was initiated by Hall Nov. 9, but he believed Oates would immediately proceed with the sale to Primary Wave, according to the motion for an injunction. The lawsuit revealed that an arbitrator had not even been agreed upon.
Parts of the lawsuit remain sealed, with the judge apparently agreeing with Hall’s lawyers that it contains details covered by the confidentiality agreement they say Oates violated in his dealings with Primary Wave.
Neither Hall nor Oates’ representatives have responded to requests for comment since the injunction was made public. Variety has reached out to Primary Wave, whose office will be closed over the holiday weekend, for comment.
Back in February 2007, Primary Wave announced that it had acquired a “significant interest in the song catalog of Daryl Hall & John Oates.” The New York Post estimated the duo’s sale of a reported half interest in the catalog to Primary Wave at $25 million to $50 million. Soon after, the company also bought the copyrights to about 70 songs by sisters Sara and Janna Allen, including their share of Hall and Oates hits like “Maneater,” “You Make My Dreams” and “I Can’t Go for That.” ( It does not work).”
Back then, 16 years ago, Hall was quoted in the Post as saying he was eager to sell to Primary Wave after being unhappy with their previous publisher. “I didn’t feel like my catalog was being treated properly by BMG,” Hall told the Post in 2007. “Most publishing houses are more administrative than creative. Larry (Mestel, the founder and CEO of Primary Wave) had a lot of creative ideas about what I could do with my material.”
When doing an interview with Sky News in 2021, Hall broke down in tears as he regretted selling his publishing house, although he was referring to “the early days” so it wasn’t entirely clear whether he was talking about BMG, Primary, Winke or another deal.
“Oh, in the early days it was sold for me and I didn’t get the money,” Hall said in the interview with the two-year-old. “I have my share of releases, but there was a lot of bad business in the early days – I’m a real rock ‘n’ roll story when it comes to that sort of thing. Never sell your publications – maybe you can sell your publications when you’re, you know, 80 years old and have decided to retire, but I wouldn’t even suggest it then, I don’t believe in that concept. This is all you have.”
Hall and Oates went their separate ways last year, each embarking on solo tours that included both individual efforts and some of their biggest hits as a duo. Hall toured with opening act Todd Rundgren, who joined him for a few duets toward the end of each evening. However, Hall and Oates did not tour together for two months until fall 2022.
Their last album together was 2006’s Home for Christmas, and their last joint collection of non-seasonal material was released before that in 2004. They announced plans to start working on a new album together a few years ago, but These plans apparently failed. Nonetheless, their occasional tours were considered major successes on the concert stage, playing arenas and amphitheaters as large as the Hollywood Bowl two years earlier.
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