The “ultimate partnership betrayal” is what Daryl Hall has accused erstwhile musical partner John Oates of, in court documents that allege a breach of their business partnership.
Oates was moving to sell half of their joint operation, Whole Oats Enterprises, to Primary Wave, a company that has been buying up song catalogues with a view to making long-term gains from streaming royalties, advertising syncs and other sources. Hall claims Oates’s move happened “completely behind my back” as they were going through a “global divorce” (Hall’s words) around the dissolution of Whole Oats, which controls their trademarks, likenesses and recorded music royalties. What could be a multimillion dollar sale is now dangling in limbo.
