Timbaland sues Australian promoter

HIP-hop superstar Timbaland is suing an Australian tour company, accusing it of ruining his local concerts and tarnishing his image.

The American music mogul is suing Brisbane-based Showtime Touring Group for unspecified damages for breach of contract in a US federal court about the cancelled tour earlier this year.

In the 18-page suit, obtained by News Limited yesterday, Timbaland's lawyers revealed that their client wanted to "set the record straight" for his Australian fans about the "last minute cancellation".

"Despite Timbaland's desire to perform for his Australia and New Zealand fans, he was unable to do so," the suit stated.

"From the moment the parties signed the contract at issue, Showtime breached its obligations."

The suit revealed that Showtime had agreed to pay Timbaland a $A1.26 million performance fee for the tour - or $A250, 923 for each of the five scheduled shows - but had failed to make the required payments.

In the contract with Showtime, Timbaland agreed to perform for a minimum of 40 minutes and a maximum of an hour at each show.

Timbaland - who is best known as the powerhouse music producer behind hits for chart stars including Madonna, Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado - also accused Showtime of releasing misleading information about the show and arranging sponsorships and commercial tie-ins without his consent.

The 37-year-old singer, whose real name is Timothy Moseley, was originally scheduled for five shows - in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland - in July, but they were postponed to August before finally getting cancelled.

"Timbaland initially offered to postpone the tour dates to permit Showtime to get its act together so that he could entertain his fans," the suit said.

"Showtime, however, was still unable to comply with its basic contractual obligations, including failing to pay the guaranteed due under the contract and failing to provide the required production elements for the tour.

"As a result, on the eve of Timberland's first scheduled appearance, Showtime announced the official cancellation of the tour, disappointing hundreds of thousands of ticket-holding fans and subjecting Timbaland to considerable backlash in the Australian press, which falsely reported that the cancellation was due to Timbaland's wedding and honeymoon."

According to the contract, Showtime - which signed the performance agreement only six weeks before the first scheduled concert - was required to pay for all costs to mount the tour, including round-the-clock security guards to accompany Timbaland and his entourage "at all times during Artist's stay in Australia and New Zealand".

The suit also said that Showtime had agreed to pay his Florida-based corporation Mosley Touring Inc. a "contribution toward the airfare for Timbaland, his associates and other personnel in the amount of $A561,682 ($US447,500)".

Timbaland's demands also included "first-class vehicles" and "first-class, five-star hotel accommodation" for him, his entourage and staff during their nine days in Australia and New Zealand for the tour.

The suit, which has been filed in New York's District Court, has demanded a jury hear the matter in a trial.

Court records showed a summons was issued to Showtime yesterday.

Timbaland's court papers billed him as "one of the most successful pop, hip hop, R&B and rap American artists and record producers on the music scene today".

"Over the last 15 years, Timbaland has produced career-defining hits for renowned recording artists such as 50 Cent, Aaliyah, Alicia Keys, Bjork, Destiny's Child, Ginuwine, Janet Jackson, Jay-Z, Jodeci, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Nelly Furtado and Snoop Dogg, as well as many others," the suit said.