Denver nightclub owner Regas Christou has filed a lawsuit against Beatport's Brad Roulier over allegations of anti-competitive behavior.
The Denver Postreports that Christou, owner of Denver nightspots Vinyl, The Church, Two AM, Bar Standard among others, has accused Roulier, his club Beta, Beatport and New York-based booking agency AM Only of having "an unfair monopoly on A-list DJ bookings in Denver dance clubs."
The basis of the lawsuit is that Beatport has been leveraging its considerable power and influence on the electronic music scene to "coerce" DJs into playing only at Beta for Denver gigs. The suit suggests that if DJs want full support from Beatport in terms of promotion they must to agree to play Beta exclusively. Specific cases include DJ Rap who it's alleged was told by Roulier via her agents that her two labels would be pulled from Beatport if she were to play elsewhere in Denver, despite her apparently favouring a gig at the Church. Other artists named in the suit include Deadmau5, Sasha, Christopher Lawrence and DJ Dan.
Roulier was in fact working under Christou as a talent booker until 2007 when he left to set-up Beta. Christou suit has claimed an impact of more than $1 million in losses. "Mr. Christou has substantial evidence towards the allegations," said lawyer Jeffrey S. Vail, who is representing Christou in the lawsuit. "These actions have been harming not only Mr. Christou but others in the community, and we're confident they will come forward during this process."
Meanwhile, Roulier's lawyer Joe L. Silver stated that, "I think that Mr. Christou is really mistaking Beta's popularity among the artists and the public as being unfair competition. That's what this suit may well be about."
