Some cast members of Fox hit “Glee” claim they’ve been stiffed out of profits from the show’s big-selling soundtrack.
After their latest record, “Glee: The Music — Journey to Regionals” landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart in June, star Mark Salling said he’d seen “not a dime” of royalty payments from label Sony Music.
Co-star Corey Montieth told Toby Knapp‘s DC 99.5 radio show: “I got 400 bucks from it going No. 1. But you know what, that’s OK, because if I’m patient, and if this thing does really well, maybe I’ll see another 400 bucks.”
Sources tell us Sony CEO Ralph Schmidt-Holtz struck a big soundtrack deal with “Glee” executive producer Ryan Murphy, but the cast — who have sold more than a million albums — were somehow cut out.
“The ‘Glee’ cast is furious because they feel they were misled by Sony,” a source said. “They have all complained to Ryan that they want a bigger share of the royalties.”
Many of the stars are so annoyed with the label, they’ve struck solo deals with rivals, our source said. Matthew Morrison inked a deal with Mercury Records in January and Salling signed with independent label Pipe Dream Records. And while Lea Michele is expected to record her solo album with Sony, an insider said she’s leading the charge against the label, demanding that the cast be compensated for soundtrack sales.
“Sony should have known better — they kept their hands on money that could have paid to the cast,” our source said. “But by upsetting the biggest talent on TV, the label is cutting its nose off to spite its face. It is myopic, short-term thinking on their part.”
Michele’s rep denied a conflict and said, “Lea Michele has always enjoyed working with Sony.” Montieth’s rep said, “He has no plans to sign with any label at this time.”
Reps for Salling, Murphy, Morrison and for Sony and Fox didn’t get back to us.