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Why Martin Garrix Sued the Label Warner Bought for $100 Million
Martin Garrix was 17 when Animals, a track he made in his attic in Amstelveen, went around the world. Four years later Warner bought the label that released it, for a reported $100 million, and thirteen days after that a court ruled on who produced his records.
We follow Martin Garrix from the attic to the two contracts he signed at 16 with Spinnin' Records and MusicAllStars, two companies run by the same man; the hit that went around the world and what it earned; the talks that fell apart in 2015; the claims on both sides; Warner's purchase of Spinnin' in September 2017; and three courts, until 2021, on who was misled, what was fair and who produced the records, and what is still open.
CHAPTERS
0:00 An attic in Amstelveen
1:00 The attic: TiΓ«sto, FL Studio and two contracts at 16
2:33 The song: how Animals was finished, and what it earned
4:25 The deal: masters, royalties and Scooter Braun
5:46 The split: he walks out, the claims, STMPD RCRDS
7:37 The sale: Warner buys Spinnin' for a reported $100 million
8:56 The courts: Leeuwarden, the Supreme Court and Den Bosch
10:27 Back to the attic
NOTES
His 2015 claims, that he was misled and given false information when he signed, were allegations. The court of appeal (2019) rejected them, and the Supreme Court (2021) made final that he was not misled into signing. The other side's statements are quoted as statements. The $100 million is the price Music Business Worldwide reported from its sources; Warner did not announce a price. The testimony quoted from the 2016 hearings is as reported by Quote; Dutch quotes are translated by us. His age when he signed follows the Supreme Court (just 16). The attic is his own word: he made his first tracks in his attic bedroom, and he argued in court that he made the records there; the district court found that he made them at home, on his own equipment. The thirteen days are our arithmetic. The royalty and the extension clauses were sent back to the court of appeal in Den Bosch; we found no published ruling from that court as of October 2026. DJ Mag readers voted him number one in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2024. The headlines on screen are the real headlines of the articles listed below, set in our own type. The contracts, the clauses on them, the records, the cards, the step pattern and the globe are our own illustrations: the clauses summarise what the courts and the press reported, not the documents' wording. The photos show the people and places of the story; the captions on screen give the year each photo of a person was taken, and some were taken years after the events they illustrate.
SOURCES (search any title to find the original)
Rechtbank Midden Nederland (district court, Lelystad), press release and judgment, 20 Sep 2017, ECLI:NL:RBMNE:2017:4775
Gerechtshof Arnhem Leeuwarden (court of appeal, Leeuwarden), press release and judgment, 24 Dec 2019, ECLI:NL:GHARL:2019:11117
Hoge Raad (Dutch Supreme Court), press release and judgment, 17 Dec 2021, ECLI:NL:HR:2021:1923
IE Forum, Sep 2017: Niet Spinnin' Records maar Martin Garrix zelf is aan te merken als fonogrammenproducent
Boek9, 10 Jan 2020 (the 2019 appeal)
Danceadvocaat, 6 Jan 2020 (the 2019 appeal)
HΓΆcker Advocaten, 14 Jan 2022 (the 2021 ruling)
Quote: 30 Aug 2016 (Jorn Heringa's testimony; the role of Scooter Braun); 10 Sep 2016 (the 2015 negotiations).
MAPS AND MUSIC
Globe: Natural Earth.
Original music and sound design by House Music US.
Record heard in the video: Animals, Martin Garrix. All rights belong to their owners.
PHOTOS (modified: cropped, graded, animated; brand names and logos removed)
Amstelveen, Graaf Willemlaan, 2011: DennisM2, CC0
Martin Garrix at Veld, Toronto, 2016: Tobias Wang (Visualbass) / Veld Music Festival, CC BY SA 2.0
Martin Garrix at 17, Les TransArdentes, Liège, January 2014: Kmeron, CC BY NC ND 2.0
The district court in Lelystad: Courtesy of de Rechtspraak
The court of appeal in Leeuwarden: Courtesy of de Rechtspraak
The Supreme Court of the Netherlands, The Hague, 2017: Fred Romero, CC BY 2.0
Amstelveen, Emmakade, 2008: DennisM2, CC0
Athens Olympic Stadium, the opening ceremony, 13 August 2004: Michael Kassotakis, CC BY SA 2.0
TiΓ«sto, 2007: Scott Penner, CC BY SA 2.0
Eelko van Kooten, 2020: Paul Tolenaar
Roger de Graaf, 2019: Michel Schnater, courtesy of Spinnin' Records
Jorn Heringa, 2019: Michel Schnater, courtesy of Spinnin' Records
Scooter Braun, 2010: TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0
Martin Garrix at Veld, Toronto, July 2016: Tobias Wang (Visualbass) / Veld Music Festival, CC BY SA 2.0
1633 Broadway, New York, Warner Music Group's headquarters in 2017 (photo 2026): Ajay Suresh, CC BY 4.0
The court of appeal in Den Bosch: Courtesy of de Rechtspraak
Martin Garrix at Untold, Cluj, August 2024: Lucian NuΘΔ, CC BY SA 2.0
Kmeron and DennisM2 are credited by the names they publish under. Modified CC BY SA images are shared under the same licence.
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