Coldplay is engaged in a legal battle with their former manager to the tune of $17 million.
Dave Holmes, who managed the band for over two decades before they went their separate ways last year, originally sued Coldplay for $12 million in August over an alleged contractual dispute, according to Variety.
Now, however, the band — which includes frontman Chris Martin — is countersuing Holmes for $17 million for a multitude of reasons, including for alleged unpaid commissions regarding their upcoming 10th and 11th studio albums.
As part of the countersuit, Coldplay is citing $10 million in damages during their Music of Spheres tour: bespoke stage pylons that were unusable and a screen that was too large. (The band is currently on tour until September 2024 to promote the album, which was released in October 2021.)
They also claimed that Holmes borrowed $20 million from Live Nation, a tour promoter — the funds of which he allegedly used for a property development in Canada.
A representative for Holmes, meanwhile, told U.K.’s The Times that the band’s accusations don’t hold water. Us Weekly has reached out to Coldplay’s team for comment.
“Coldplay know they are in trouble with their defense,” Holmes’ rep said. “Accusing Dave Holmes of non-existent ethical lapses and other made-up misconduct will not deflect from the real issue at hand — Coldplay had a contract with Dave, they are refusing to honor it and they need to pay Dave what they owe him.”
The band officially formed in 1997 after the foursome met at the University College of London. Since the release of their first album, Parachutes, in 2000, Coldplay has won seven Grammys and dropped multiple studio albums.
In December 2021, the “Yellow” singer hinted that the band may be closing their chapter in the near future.
“Well, I know I can tell you, our last proper record will come out in 2025 and after that I think we will only tour,” he told BBC Radio 2 at the time. “Maybe we’ll do some collaborative things, but the Coldplay catalog, as it were, finishes then.”
This was not the first time that Martin had opened up about the band’s plans. In October of the same year, he told Absolute Radio: “This is not a joke, this is true, I think after 12 [albums] that will be the end of our catalog, but I think we will always want to play live together. So, I think in the way that the [Rolling] Stones do, it will be so cool if we can still be touring in our late 70s. That will be wonderful, if anybody wants to come.”
