Angus & Julia Stone sue former manager and music giant

Aussie music duo Angus & Julia Stone have launched legal action against their ex-manager and an international music industry giant.

Indie pop stars Angus & Julia Stone are suing their ex-manager and an international music management powerhouse over alleged overcharging, in a case worth more than $1m.

The singer-songwriter siblings, who went global thanks to their hit “Big Jet Plane”, have launched legal action in the NSW Supreme Court against their former manager Tim Manton and management firm TaP Music.

The Stones allege Mr Manton, who managed the brother-and-sister duo for more than a decade before the parties split last year, overcharged them on management fees.

They have launched legal action against the Lennox Head-based manager in the NSW Supreme Court, which hears disputes where the claim is worth more than $750,000.

The dispute also relates to a 2014 management agreement between the Stones and Mr Manton.

Brother and sister indie pop duo Angus & Julia Stone.

The siblings are also suing TaP Music, an international music management firm that previously represented the Stones after Mr Manton brought them to the company’s roster.

The musicians initiated the case in the Supreme Court on January 31.

UK based company HNOE, which covers TaP, is listed as the first defendant, while Mr Manton and his company, Manton Music, are the second and third, respectively.

According to court records, the Stones allege there has been a breach of their management agreement and have asked the court to award them damages.

When the case was heard earlier this year, Justice Michael Ball gave Manton and the other defendants until March 15 to file their defence statements with the court.

Growing up on Sydney’s northern beaches, Angus and Julia released their first album in 2006 and charted on triple J’s Hottest 100.

Four years later, they took out top spot on the annual countdown with their massive hit “Big Jet Plane”.

Angus Stone (l to r), Tim Manton and Julia Stone at Coachella 2015.

Meanwhile, they developed an international following thanks to a gruelling touring schedule, which saw them conquer Europe while also growing their fan base with performances at festivals like Splendour in the Grass.

In February, the pair announced the release of their sixth album Cape Forestier on May 10.

It is believed they are currently self-managing their music business affairs.

They recently announced they had signed a new deal with Sony Music after releasing their 2021 album Life is Strange via BMG.

Mr Manton signed Angus and Julia Stone to the roster of his company Manton Management in 2013, and joined forces with global powerhouse TaP management, whose clients now include Lana Del Rey, Ellie Goulding and Noah Cyrus.

Manton is also a promoter for Secret Sounds, the tour agency behind the Splendour In The Grass festival.

The dispute with the Stones is not the first drama HNOE has faced in relation to a dispute with an artist on its books in recent years.

In its 2021 financial documents lodged with the UK financial regulator, HNOE said it had “lost the custom of a major artist after the end of the financial period” and that the company was owed £826,078 ($A1.6m).

The documents did not reveal the identity of the artist.

Got a news tip? Email [e-mail]